3 publishers · first seen Thu, 29 Oct 2026 18:51 UTC · updated Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:38 UTC
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has launched a training reset for new recruits and volunteers following a report that identified major flaws in its training programmes, including the use of an old-school military-style approach called "beasting" to belittle trainees. The report found training to be outdated, disjointed, and unsafe for learners, with personal and crew safety not woven through all activities. It cited the 2023 deaths of two volunteer firefighters in Muriwai during Cyclone Gabrielle and a volunteer injured by a car last year as concerns that reflect a weak safety culture. FENZ did not share the report with firefighters or Minister Brooke van Velden, who said she was unaware of the 2025 document but expects safe and effective training to be prioritised.
The training reset will not extend to over 1000 professional firefighters, a decision blocked by national training leader Joe Stanley, who said the report wrongly targets individual instructors in an underfunded system.
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