New Zealand Fire Service

What New Zealand Fire Service does

Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), which succeeded the New Zealand Fire Service, is a statutory Crown entity established in 2017 under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Act 2017 through the amalgamation of 40 urban and rural fire services. It operates as New Zealand's monopoly national fire and emergency management organization, delivering fire suppression, hazardous substances response, medical co-response, severe weather response, and community fire-safety education to every resident and property owner in the country. The organization runs through nearly 600 fire stations and a workforce of more than 14,000, of whom roughly 80% are volunteer firefighters embedded in local communities across approximately 600 brigades.

The core technology stack centers on the ICAD (incident command and dispatch) system, a National Communications Centre dispatch backbone, and a Fire Weather Index System used to predict fire danger and regulate fire permits. Public-facing digital tools include the Check It's Alright outdoor-fire lookup tool, the 3-Step Escape Plan household planning tool, the RealMe-authenticated Evacuation Scheme Management portal, the Fire Permit System at firepermit.nz, the Fire Hazard Reporting portal at firehazard.nz, and a VR fire-experience site (escapemyhouse.co.nz). Educational products span the Get Firewise primary-school curriculum, Get Out! Stay Out! for early childhood, and bilingual Te Reo Māori programmes (Māui-tinei-ahi, E Puta! E Noho ki Waho!) for Māori-medium settings, with brand ambassadors including rugby figures Samuel Whitelock and Christian Cullen.

The business model is government-funded via a property-based Fire and Emergency Levy collected through insurance mechanisms and supplemented by direct Crown appropriations. Core emergency response (111 calls) is provided free at point of use; selected regulatory services such as fire permits and evacuation scheme approvals carry associated fees. Go-to-market is a hybrid community-led model — universal 111 emergency access plus 80% volunteer staffing — combined with direct public outreach through school programmes, free home fire safety visits, and digital self-service portals. Recent commercial-adjacent moves include the FireMapper for Enterprise wildfire-mapping tool targeting the forestry sector and the "You're Cooked" distracted-cooking campaign aimed at the 18–35 demographic.

Name

New Zealand Fire Service

Legal name

Fire and Emergency New Zealand

Website

https://fireandemergency.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Fire and Emergency New Zealand is a statutory Crown entity operating the national fire and emergency service across nearly 600 stations with 14,000+ personnel (80% volunteer), funded by a property levy and providing emergency response, fire safety education, and regulatory services to all New Zealand residents and property owners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tikokino

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fire and Emergency Levy: Government-mandated levy funding the organization. Property-based levy system where levy payers contribute to fund fire services. Levies are collected through regulatory compliance mechanisms administered by Fire and Emergency.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Fire and Emergency New Zealand delivers national fire suppression, emergency response, and community fire safety services across New Zealand. Core services include 24/7 emergency response via the 111 dispatch system, hazardous substances incident management, fire permit issuance, evacuation scheme approvals for buildings, and free home fire safety visits with smoke alarm installation. The organization also runs curriculum-based fire safety education programmes in schools, bilingual programmes in Te Reo Māori, and digital self-service tools for fire risk assessment, escape planning, and permit applications.

Product overview

Fire and Emergency New Zealand operates as a single unified national emergency management organization established in 2017, offering fire suppression, emergency response, and community fire safety education services. The organization provides a portfolio of digital tools including the 3-Step Escape Plan interactive planning tool, Check It's Alright outdoor fire assessment tool, Evacuation Scheme Management online portal, Incident Reporting System, and Fire Permit System. Educational offerings include the Get Firewise program for primary schools, Get Out! Stay Out! for early childhood, Māui-tinei-ahi and E Puta! E Noho ki Waho! for Māori-medium settings. Public safety campaigns cover lithium-ion battery safety, distracted cooking prevention (You're Cooked), and wildfire readiness. The organization also offers Home Fire Safety Visits and maintains a partnership with NEMA for Emergency Mobile Alerts. Additional services include FireMapper for Enterprise for forestry wildfire mapping and fire hazard reporting tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• You're Cooked: A cookbook campaign for people cooking while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, aimed at preventing house fires
• Get Firewise
• Māui-tinei-ahi
• Get Out! Stay Out!
• E Puta! E Noho ki Waho!

Products and services

• Get Firewise A curriculum-based fire safety resource for primary school children (Years 1-2) that teaches the knowledge and behaviours needed to stay fire safe and escape from burning buildings. Delivered by teachers using online resources, physical materials, and firefighter visits.
• Get Out! Stay Out! An early childhood education fire-safety programme for pre-school children aged two to five years old that teaches escape procedures from burning buildings.
• Māui-tinei-ahi A bilingual (English and Te Reo Māori) fire-safety programme for Year 1 and 2 students in Māori-medium classrooms.
• E Puta! E Noho ki Waho! A bilingual fire-safety programme for kōhanga reo and puna akoranga enrolled tamariki, available in English and Te Reo Māori.
• Home Fire Safety Visit Free on-site visits where firefighters assess home fire risks, install smoke alarms, and provide personalised fire safety advice for households.
• 3-Step Escape Plan An interactive planning tool that helps households create fire escape plans by answering questions about smoke alarms, escape routes, and meeting places.
• Evacuation Scheme Management Online platform for building owners to apply for, manage, and maintain approved evacuation schemes, integrated with RealMe authentication for secure access.
• Check It's Alright A three-step online tool that tells users the fire danger, fire season status, safety requirements, and whether a fire permit is needed before lighting outdoor fires.
• Incident Reporting System Online portal providing incident report data from the last seven days, organized by region (North, Central, South) and day of the week.
• Fire Permit System Online system for applying for and managing fire permits during restricted fire seasons, accessible via firepermit.nz.
• Fire Hazard Reporting Online portal for reporting potential outdoor fire hazards, allowing citizens to submit concerns about unkempt properties.
• Emergency Mobile Alerts Partnership with NEMA and other agencies (NZ Police, Ministry of Primary Industries, Ministry of Health) to send Emergency Mobile Alerts for serious fire and emergency situations.
• FireMapper for Enterprise Enterprise tool for the forestry sector providing wildfire mapping and risk analysis capabilities.
• Lithium-ion Battery Safety Programme National programme raising awareness about fire risks from charging lithium-ion devices and providing safe charging guidelines for households.
• You're Cooked Campaign A targeted campaign and cookbook providing no-stove recipes for people under the influence of alcohol or drugs, aimed at preventing unattended cooking fires.

Quantifiable outcome

• Four times higher survival rate for houses with working smoke alarms
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hato Hone St JohncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2026Mutual aid partnership for emergency response contingency planning. Hato Hone St John provides medical event response during Fire and Emergency strike action, attending medical calls while paid firefighters are on industrial action. Collaborative response to hazardous substances incidents.
• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 July 2026Partnership with NEMA and other government agencies (NZ Police, Ministry of Primary Industries, Ministry of Health) to operate the Emergency Mobile Alert system. Alerts communities when lives, property or health are at serious risk.
• We Are FrankminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCreative agency partnership for the 'You're Cooked' distracted cooking campaign targeting 18-35 year olds. Agency developed campaign creative including cookbook, messaging, and distribution strategy.
• Samuel Whitelock (Rugby Player)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand ambassador partnership with New Zealand rugby player Samuel Whitelock for Low Flammability Plants campaign. Collaborates with Lincoln University on fire safety research and messaging.
• Lincoln UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Lincoln University for low flammability planting research and education campaign. Joint development of fire safety messaging around vegetation and landscaping.
• Christian Cullen (Former All Black)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerBrand ambassador partnership with former All Black Christian Cullen for Outdoor Fire Safety campaign. Former rugby player promotes safe outdoor fire practices.
• Waikato District CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal government partnership for hazardous substances incident response. Council provides water management support and infrastructure for drain flushing operations during chemical incidents.
• WatercarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater utility partnership for hazardous substances incidents. Collaborates with Fire and Emergency on drain flushing and water contamination management during chemical emergencies.
• St JohnminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partnership for first aid and medical guidance. Fire and Emergency refers users to St John website for scalds and burns treatment advice from cooking fire prevention content.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection): US state-level government fire agency responsible for wildfire protection, structural fire, and emergency response across rural and urban areas. Comparable in statutory authority, integrated wildland-urban fire mandate, and public funding model.
• Fire Rescue Victoria: Statutory fire and rescue service for metropolitan Victoria, formed via amalgamation. Closely comparable to FENZ in career firefighter workforce, statutory mandate, and metropolitan service delivery.
• Scottish Fire and Rescue Service: Single national fire service for Scotland formed via amalgamation of eight legacy services in 2013, directly comparable to FENZ's 2017 national amalgamation. Similar whole-of-country integrated emergency response model.
• Queensland Fire Department: Australian state-level government fire service with similar statutory authority, volunteer/career mix, and urban-rural fire response mandate. Already a partnership counterpart to FENZ for hazardous substances response, making it a directly comparable public fire service peer.
• Fire and Rescue NSW: Largest Australian state fire and rescue service with statutory authority, urban fire suppression, hazardous materials response, and community education. Comparable in operational scope, statutory mandate, and government-funded model to FENZ.
• Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service: UK metropolitan fire and rescue authority with statutory fire safety enforcement, community prevention, and integrated emergency response. Comparable in regulated public service model, prevention-focused mandate, and digital public engagement.
• London Fire Brigade: Statutory metropolitan fire and rescue service funded via government precept, with operational fire suppression, community safety education, and digital public-facing tools. Closest international analog in terms of integrated urban services and statutory mandate.
• Country Fire Authority (Victoria): Volunteer-based Australian fire service responsible for rural and outer-metropolitan fire response, with strong community engagement model. Directly comparable to FENZ's volunteer-heavy rural fire service operations.

Regional players

• Hato Hone St John: New Zealand ambulance and health emergency services provider; direct mutual aid partner to FENZ for medical events during strike action. Comparable in operating environment, government-contracted funding, and volunteer-supported service model.

Broad incumbents

• National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) New Zealand: New Zealand's national emergency management agency that FENZ partners with for Emergency Mobile Alerts and broader civil defence. A broader-incumbent peer in emergency management for the same geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/fireemergencynz
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCQu-E5AwQWpXspT446EvbNw
• Facebookfacebook.com/fireandemergencynz
• Instagraminstagram.com/fireandemergencynz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-zealand-fire-service

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Zealand Fire Service