Expenditure towards advertisement of NZPFU Strikes
Mark Grayson made this Official Information request to Fire and Emergency New Zealand
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From: Mark Grayson
Dear Fire and Emergency New Zealand,
As a New Zealand Citizen, I am requesting the following information relating to the 'Career/Paid Firefighter Strike Action" to date (15 January 2026);
1. Total expenditure by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) of advertisement across social media platforms, radio networks, television, billboards and any other broadcasting means;
2. Expenditure of advertisements identified by category (Social Media, Radio, Television etc)
3. Copies of all internal communications between the FENZ Social Media Team, and the FENZ Executive Leadership Team relating to the advertisements, across all digital platforms (emails, teams messages and calls);
3a. A comprehensive list of all platforms and media outlets that FENZ contacted relating to the advertisements;
3b. The name(s) of the person(s) who authorised, or signed off for this advertising to proceed;
4. What budget or cost group did the money for this advertising come from?
5. Were there any other means that FENZ considered as part of the advertising, that did not get authorised or proceed?
5a. If yes, can FENZ provide the expenditures for this?
Yours faithfully,
Mark Grayson
From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Tēnā koe Mark Grayson
We write to acknowledge receipt of your information request dated 15
January 2026. Our commitment is to provide a response to your request as
soon as possible, and no later than 20 working days after the day it was
received. If we are unable to meet this timeframe, we will inform you
promptly and provide details regarding any extension required. Should
clarification be necessary for your request, we may reach out to you for
additional information.
The information you have requested may contain the names and contact
details of our staff or volunteers. Please let us know whether you require
these names and contact details. We may need to consult our people before
deciding whether we can release this information, and this may take a bit
more time. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not
require their names and contact details.
Please note that over the holiday period there is a three-week period
where the days are not counted as ‘working days’. This applies to Official
Information Act and Privacy Act requests and that period is 25 December
2025 to 15 January 2026, inclusive. That means the maximum time limit for
responding to requests made from 27 November 2025 may run into the new
year. The Ombudsman’s OIA calculator can show you the latest date for a
response: [1]Go to the OIA calculator.
Nāku noa, nā
Information Request Team
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From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Tēnā koe Mark
Please find attached correspondence from Fire and Emergency New Zealand |
Whakaratonga Iwi.
Ngā mihi,
Information Requests Team
[1]Description: Cato Server:WORK IN PROGRESS:FENZ:FENZ_Assets:FENZ
Logos:FENZ logos _Supplied to FENZ:FENZ Logos png:FENZ Logo_CMYK.png
E: [2][FENZ request email]
W: [3]www.fireandemergency.nz
A: Fire and Emergency National Headquarters
Level 7, 42-52 Willis Street, Wellington Central
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
[4][IMG][5][IMG][6][IMG][7][IMG][8][IMG][9][IMG]
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From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Tēnā koe Mark
We write regarding your request for information received 15 January 2026
relating to advertising expenditure regarding industrial action. We are
writing to seek refinement of question three of your request which asks
for:
* Copies of all internal communications between the FENZ Social Media
Team, and the FENZ Executive Leadership Team relating to the
advertisements, across all digital platforms (emails, teams messages
and calls);
All communications relating to the paid public information campaign were
between the Fire and Emergency Executive Leadership Team and the National
Manager Communications and Engagement. For this reason, this part of your
request would be refused under section 18(e) of the OIA, as the document
alleged to contain the information requested does not exist. In line with
our obligations under section 18B of the OIA, we are writing to propose a
refinement to question three in order to remove our potential reason to
refuse this portion of your request.
We propose refining this aspect of your request to ask for all
communications between the Fire and Emergency Executive Leadership Team
and the National Manager Communications and Engagement relating to the
advertisements.
Please let us know as soon as possible if you agree to this refinement. If
no reply is received we will proceed with your request on its original
merit, which will include refusing question three as the information does
not exist.
Ngā mihi,
Information Requests Team
E: [1][FENZ request email]
W: [2]www.fireandemergency.nz
A: Fire and Emergency National Headquarters
Level 7, 42-52 Willis Street, Wellington Central
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
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From: Mark Grayson
Dear Official Information Requests,
I am replying to your previous message:
"We propose refining this aspect of your request to ask for all
communications between the Fire and Emergency Executive Leadership Team
and the National Manager Communications and Engagement relating to the
advertisements."
Please refine this aspect of the request to all communications between the Fire and Emergency Executive Leadership Team and the National Manager Communications and Engagement relating to the advertisements.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Grayson
From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Tēnā koe Mark
Please find attached correspondence from Fire and Emergency New Zealand |
Whakaratonga Iwi.
Ngā mihi,
Information Requests Team
[1]Description: Cato Server:WORK IN PROGRESS:FENZ:FENZ_Assets:FENZ
Logos:FENZ logos _Supplied to FENZ:FENZ Logos png:FENZ Logo_CMYK.png
E: [2][FENZ request email]
W: [3]www.fireandemergency.nz
A: Fire and Emergency National Headquarters
Level 7, 42-52 Willis Street, Wellington Central
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
[4][IMG][5][IMG][6][IMG][7][IMG][8][IMG][9][IMG]
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From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
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OIA20554 Grayson Reply.pdf
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OIA20554 Grayson Appendix RELEASE.pdf
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Tēnā koe Mark
Please find attached correspondence from Fire and Emergency New Zealand |
Whakaratonga Iwi.
Ngā mihi,
Information Requests Team
[1]Description: Cato Server:WORK IN PROGRESS:FENZ:FENZ_Assets:FENZ
Logos:FENZ logos _Supplied to FENZ:FENZ Logos png:FENZ Logo_CMYK.png
E: [2][FENZ request email]
W: [3]www.fireandemergency.nz
A: Fire and Emergency National Headquarters
Level 7, 42-52 Willis Street, Wellington Central
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
[4][IMG][5][IMG][6][IMG][7][IMG][8][IMG][9][IMG]
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From: Mark Grayson
Dear Official Information Requests,
Thank you for supplying this information.
For this request, Fire and Emergency NZ is known as "FENZ" and the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union is known as "NZPFU".
Please provide updated information for the below, as at 11 March 2026:
1. Total expenditure by Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) of advertisement across social media platforms, radio networks, television, billboards and any other broadcasting means;
Your previous response was:
As of 16 January 2026, the total expenditure Fire and Emergency has paid in regard to the paid public information campaign about the New Zealand Professional Firefighters’ Union (NZPFU) industrial action is $868,639.72.
1a. Please provide a weekly breakdown of this figure.
1b. Please provide the current salary of a Firefighter.
1c. Please provide the current salary of the Chief Executive Officer.
2. Please provide all phone messages (such as SMS, Messenger or Whatsapp) and emails between 01 October 2025 and 11 March 2026, relating to the industrial action, strikes, incidents during the strikes, or mention "NZPFU" or "Union", to or from the following persons:
- Chief Executive Officer Kerry Gregory
- Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler
- National Manager Communications Engagement
- Minister Brooke van Velden
Note: Emails included in the document above (OIA20554 Grayson Appendix RELEASE.pdf) can be excluded from this request.
3. Please provide all phone messages (such as SMS, Messenger or Whatsapp) and emails relating to the pay deductions for NZPFU members who are striking, between the aforementioned persons. This should include any attachments. This should be between 01 January 2026 and 11 March 2026.
https://portal.fireandemergency.nz/notic...
3a. Please provide a total number on how many text messages were sent to employees personal cell phones by FENZ, advising them to read their emails or the portal story, on 09 March 2026.
3b. Please provide the total cost of sending these texts.
3c. Do FENZ employees use their personal phones for work-related purposes?
4. Please provide a total number on how many emails were received by "NHQ HR" relating to the release of this notice to FENZ employees, specifically between 09 March 2026 and 11 March 2026.
5. Following the withdrawal of strike action by the NZPFU, has FENZ issued any updated statements, amendments, withdrawal or apologies to their employees?
5a. If no, does FENZ intend on issuing something to their employees?
5b. What immediate action did FENZ take following the withdrawal of strike action?
5c. Do the FENZ values apply to all employees, including the Executive Leadership Team?
I understand you may need to extend the timeframe of this request.
Yours sincerely,
Mark Grayson
From: Official Information Requests
Fire and Emergency New Zealand
Tēnā koe Mark Grayson
We write to acknowledge receipt of your information request dated 10 March
2026. Our commitment is to provide a response to your request as soon as
possible, and no later than 20 working days after the day it was received.
If we are unable to meet this timeframe, we will inform you promptly and
provide details regarding any extension required. Should clarification be
necessary for your request, we may reach out to you for additional
information.
The information you have requested may contain the names and contact
details of our staff or volunteers. Please let us know whether you require
these names and contact details. We may need to consult our people before
deciding whether we can release this information, and this may take a bit
more time. If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you do not
require their names and contact details.
Nāku noa, nā
Information Request Team
[1][IMG][2][IMG][3][IMG][4][IMG][5][IMG][6][IMG]
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