National Headquarters
Level 12
80 The Terrace
PO Box 2133
Wellington
New Zealand
Phone +64 4 496 3600
17 August 2022
Mike Hunua
By email: [FYI request #20176 email]
Tēnā koe Mike
Information Request – Waiharara Scrub Fire
I refer to your official information request dated 8 August 2022 asking for the following
information
.
“Could you provide the incident report and costings for the Waiharara fire in the Far
North District that started in December 2021 and burnt over 2000ha of wetland scrub.”
In accordance with the provisions of the Official Information Act 1982 (“
OIA”), please find below a
response to your request.
SMS Incident report
Fire and Emergency New Zealand is conducting a thorough investigation into all the events that
lead to the outbreak of the fire in the Kaimaumau Wetland in the Far North. This investigation is
still underway, and we are taking all contributing factors into account. Until this investigation is
complete, we cannot release or comment on any of our findings to date. Accordingly, this
information is being withheld under section 6(c) of the OIA, as to provide the information at this
time would likely prejudice the maintenance of the law (i.e. the post-incident analysis
investigation). Please be assured we are working hard to have the investigation complete as soon
as possible.
Costs
Please see the costs of the incident set out in the table below. This table shows the invoiced costs
up to 8 August 2022 for the fire. It is possible that total costs may increase as additional invoices
are received. Of note, the invoices represent the additional cost we incur beyond our fixed cost of
maintaining a response capability.
F3383177 - Norton Rd Waiharara 18/12/21 Hire of Aerial Services
$4,677,970
External Firefighting Services
$2,114,079
Volunteer payments
$415,920
Employee payments
$407,236
Plant & Equipment Hire - Operational
$345,732
Incident catering
$315,590
Travel & Accommodation & Meals
$198,156
Foam
$154,343
Occupancy
$142,946
Other supplies
$72,866
Operational Equipment <$1000
$51,042
Fuel
$33,629
Fleet repairs and maintenance
$25,977
Laundry costs
$19,606
Printing and Stationery
$10,853
Freight charges
$9,712
Personal protective equipment (PPE)
$8,995
Paramedics (external)
$8,894
Computer and communications equipment costs
$6,566
Operational equipment repairs and maintenance
$4,937
Consultants
$1,504
Miscellaneous costs
$1,362
Grand Total
$9,027,916
The list below details the types of goods and services that make up some of the payments in the
table.
• Employee payments may include payments for overtime and travel reimbursements.
• Volunteer payments may include reimbursements for mileage, parking, petrol, travel costs
or meals.
• Consultants may include engineering services and weather information.
• Occupancy may include rental of property, security, cleaning and waste removal.
• External firefighting services are those resources that are not owned or, in the case of
people, are not employed by Fire and Emergency. They may include forestry company or
Department of Conservation personnel, and operators of heavy equipment such as
diggers, bulldozers, and water tankers.
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available
at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
freephone 0800 802 602.
Nāku noa, nā
Julia McCook-Weir
Manager, Information Requests
