Hi Peter,

Thank you for your request below for Official Information.

Minister van Velden is considering your request in accordance with the Act.

Kind regards,

Office of Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
MP for Tâmaki
Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

Authorised by Hon Brooke van Velden, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is prohibited and may be unlawful.
Please note information about meetings related to the Ministers’ portfolios will be proactively released (this does not include personal or constituency matters). For each meeting in scope, the summary would list: date, time (start and finish), brief description, location, who the meeting was with, and the portfolio. If you attend a meeting with the Minister on behalf of an organisation, the name of the organisation will be released. If you are a senior staff member at an organisation, or meet with the Minister in your personal capacity, your name may also be released. The location of the meeting will be released, unless it is a private residence. The proactive release will be consistent with the provisions in the Official Information Act, including privacy considerations. Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, or are concerned about the release of your information in the meeting disclosure, please contact the sender. You can read more about the proactive release policy at https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Campbell <[FOI #34019 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 11:27 PM
To: Brooke van Velden (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: OIA339 Official Information request - Morale and PR - FENZ

Kia Ora Minister Brooke van Velden,

Issues have come to light that give us reasons to ask for the following information regarding our fire service.

Are you aware of any ongoing organisational staff morale issues with FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide a summary or any documents regarding this.

Have you discussed with FENZ any staff morale or staff turnover rates within FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide documents or communications regarding this.

Are you aware of the amount Fire and Emergency New Zealand has spent on public media communications within the past 12 months, particularly in relation to strike action or industrial relations matters, and have you raised this expenditure with FENZ in terms of budget savings or spending priorities? If so, please provide any relevant correspondence, briefings, or documents.

What steps, if any, have you or your office taken within the past 12 months to seek assurance that workforce morale issues, staff turnover, and staffing levels within FENZ are being addressed, that fire appliances and stations remain staffed and operational, and that the Chief Executive is being held accountable for managing these risks? Please provide any relevant correspondence, advice, or documents.

I trust that your oversight of FENZ prioritises the safety and operational effectiveness of the service for the public, above the political interests of its executive management.

Yours faithfully,

Mr P Campbell
Rangiora
Canterbury 7400

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This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34019 email]

Is [Brooke van Velden request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Brooke van Velden? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
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If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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Dear Mr P Campbell

RE: Official information request for staff morale and public relations spending at Fire and Emergency

I refer to your official information request dated 10 March 2026 asking for the following:

1. Are you aware of any ongoing organisational staff morale issues with FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide a summary or any documents regarding this.

2. Have you discussed with FENZ any staff morale or staff turnover rates within FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide documents or communications regarding this.

The Official Information Act 1982 (the Act) requires that we advise you of our decision on your request no later than 20 working days after the day we received your request. Unfortunately, it will not be possible to meet the time limit and we are therefore writing to notify you of an extension of the time to make our decision, to 23 April 2026.

This extension is being made under section 15A(b) of the Act because the consultations necessary to make a decision on the request are such that a proper response to the request cannot reasonably be made within the original time limit.

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.

If you wish to discuss any aspect of your request with us, including this decision, please feel free to do so.

Kind regards

Office of Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Campbell <[FOI #34019 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 11:27 PM
To: Brooke van Velden (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Morale and PR - FENZ

Kia Ora Minister Brooke van Velden,

Issues have come to light that give us reasons to ask for the following information regarding our fire service.

Are you aware of any ongoing organisational staff morale issues with FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide a summary or any documents regarding this.

Have you discussed with FENZ any staff morale or staff turnover rates within FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide documents or communications regarding this.

Are you aware of the amount Fire and Emergency New Zealand has spent on public media communications within the past 12 months, particularly in relation to strike action or industrial relations matters, and have you raised this expenditure with FENZ in terms of budget savings or spending priorities? If so, please provide any relevant correspondence, briefings, or documents.

What steps, if any, have you or your office taken within the past 12 months to seek assurance that workforce morale issues, staff turnover, and staffing levels within FENZ are being addressed, that fire appliances and stations remain staffed and operational, and that the Chief Executive is being held accountable for managing these risks? Please provide any relevant correspondence, advice, or documents.

I trust that your oversight of FENZ prioritises the safety and operational effectiveness of the service for the public, above the political interests of its executive management.

Yours faithfully,

Mr P Campbell
Rangiora
Canterbury 7400

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34019 email]

Is [Brooke van Velden request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Brooke van Velden? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

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Dear Mr Campbell

Thank you again for your request for official information.
Please find attached the response from Hon Brooke van Velden, Minister of Internal Affairs

Kind regards,

Office of Hon Brooke van Velden
Minister of Internal Affairs
Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety
MP for Tâmaki
Website: www.Beehive,govt.nz
Private Bag 18041, Parliament Buildings, Wellington 6160, New Zealand

Authorised by Hon Brooke van Velden, Parliament Buildings, Wellington

Disclaimer: The information in this email (including attachments) is confidential and may be legally privileged. If an addressing or transmission error has misdirected this email, please notify the author by replying to this email and destroy the message. If you are not the intended recipient, any use, disclosure, copying or distribution is prohibited and may be unlawful.
Please note information about meetings related to the Ministers’ portfolios will be proactively released (this does not include personal or constituency matters). For each meeting in scope, the summary would list: date, time (start and finish), brief description, location, who the meeting was with, and the portfolio. If you attend a meeting with the Minister on behalf of an organisation, the name of the organisation will be released. If you are a senior staff member at an organisation, or meet with the Minister in your personal capacity, your name may also be released. The location of the meeting will be released, unless it is a private residence. The proactive release will be consistent with the provisions in the Official Information Act, including privacy considerations. Under the Privacy Act 1993 you have the right to ask for a copy of any personal information we hold about you, and to ask for it to be corrected if you think it is wrong. If you’d like to ask for a copy of your information, or to have it corrected, or are concerned about the release of your information in the meeting disclosure, please contact the sender. You can read more about the proactive release policy at https://www.dia.govt.nz/Proactive-Releas...

-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Campbell <[FOI #34019 email]>
Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 11:27 PM
To: Brooke van Velden (MIN) <[email address]>
Subject: Official Information request - Morale and PR - FENZ

Kia Ora Minister Brooke van Velden,

Issues have come to light that give us reasons to ask for the following information regarding our fire service.

Are you aware of any ongoing organisational staff morale issues with FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide a summary or any documents regarding this.

Have you discussed with FENZ any staff morale or staff turnover rates within FENZ within the past 12 months, if so please provide documents or communications regarding this.

Are you aware of the amount Fire and Emergency New Zealand has spent on public media communications within the past 12 months, particularly in relation to strike action or industrial relations matters, and have you raised this expenditure with FENZ in terms of budget savings or spending priorities? If so, please provide any relevant correspondence, briefings, or documents.

What steps, if any, have you or your office taken within the past 12 months to seek assurance that workforce morale issues, staff turnover, and staffing levels within FENZ are being addressed, that fire appliances and stations remain staffed and operational, and that the Chief Executive is being held accountable for managing these risks? Please provide any relevant correspondence, advice, or documents.

I trust that your oversight of FENZ prioritises the safety and operational effectiveness of the service for the public, above the political interests of its executive management.

Yours faithfully,

Mr P Campbell
Rangiora
Canterbury 7400

-------------------------------------------------------------------

This is an Official Information request made via the FYI website.

Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #34019 email]

Is [Brooke van Velden request email] the wrong address for Official Information requests to Brooke van Velden? If so, please contact us using this form:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://fyi....

If you find this service useful as an Official Information officer, please ask your web manager to link to us from your organisation's OIA or LGOIMA page.

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hide quoted sections