The failure of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) to procure enough operational ladder trucks for Auckland and Wellington is "a galling failure to prioritise spending", says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, "FENZ does not have a funding shortage. In fact, its latest annual report reveals that it collected $13 million more in revenue from the fire services levy than it had forecast for the financial year."

A Taxpayers' Union report from last year found that the merger of urban and rural fire services led to massive cost blowouts in back-office bureaucracy – specifically communications and IT.

"The problem here is a culture of wasteful spending within the department that appears to have been solidified by the merger of urban and rural fire services. We revealed the rebranding alone for that merger came with a $6.2 million price tag."

"Meanwhile, new fire stations, even in small communities, have been gold-plated with extra bays, kitchen facilities, and training rooms. Lake Okareka's station cost $1.9 million, Wanaka's $4 million. FENZ's newest fire station in Athol, a community of 87 people, cost $1.6 million – an incredible $46,000 per resident. Admittedly in that case, FENZ was able to swindle most of the station's cost out of the Government's COVID response fund, not that they needed the extra money."

"FENZ does not have to justify wasteful spending to Cabinet, as it collects revenue through the fire insurance levy, bypassing the Budget bid process. The Taxpayers' Union is urging the government to switch to a more accountable model as part of the current review into FENZ's funding."

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