Nine To Noon Concerns over FENZ plan to cut specialist wildfire roles
Nov 19, 2025
Richard McNamara, a former rural manager for Fire and Emergency NZ and a key figure in the 2017 Port Hills fire, raises alarms about the impact of cutting specialist wildfire roles. He discusses the unique skills required for rural wildfire management and the escalating risks tied to climate change. Peter Hallett, a senior advisor and Firefighters Union delegate, highlights concerns over merging specialized risk roles into generalist positions, which may compromise public safety and the efficiency of frontline operations. They both urge for a reevaluation of current plans to maintain wildfire expertise.
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Wildfire Risk Is Rising Nationwide
- Wildfire risk in New Zealand is increasing due to changing climate and landscape factors like forestry and urban expansion.
- Richard McNamara warns that specialist wildfire expertise is becoming more crucial as fires grow more frequent and complex.
Wildfire Skills Differ From Urban Firefighting
- Wildfire management requires distinct technical skills that differ sharply from urban firefighting tactics.
- McNamara stresses other countries maintain specialist wildfire teams and New Zealand should too as risks grow.
New Forestry Changes Fire Behavior
- Carbon sequestration forestry lacks infrastructure of production forests, increasing wildfire spread risk to neighbours and communities.
- McNamara highlights that new forest types and acreage change fuel patterns and access for fire response.