Concerns with the FENZ progress report on the Public Service Commission Review

On Wednesday 6 September, a report was issued from FENZ which shows what FENZ has done and plans to do, to address the 20 recommendations made in the Te Kawa Mataaho – Public Service Commission review (PSC report) to improve the culture of FENZ. The work programme to address these recommendations is called Eke Taumata.

We would like to inform UFBA members that we have strongly expressed our concerns with the Eke Taumata 6-monthly report, to the FENZ Chief Executive.

It is clear that this Eke Taumata report has been developed with a corporate lens, disregarding not only the recommendations of the PSC report but also the volunteers who represent 86% of FENZ’s frontline workforce.

Legislation requires FENZ to consult with volunteers and their representatives on all matters of importance to them. We have read the Eke Taumata update and identified that FENZ volunteers have not been consulted on many of the matters mentioned in the update.

We suggest that FENZ is in breach of its obligation under Section 36 1(b) of the FENZ Act 2017 which states that “FENZ must take reasonable steps - to consult with FENZ volunteers and relevant organisations referred to in Section 37 on matters that might reasonably be expected to substantially affect those volunteers.”

We need improved consultation, representation and information sharing to ensure the voice of volunteers is considered.

Click here for the full report on the FENZ Portal -  https://portal.fireandemergency.nz/notices-news-and-events/news/ce-update-eke-taumata-6-monthly-report/