OIA21147 Wilson Appendix One RELEASE.pdf

From:
Gregory, Kerry
Sent:
Wednesday, 25 March 2026 2:04 pm
To:
Kearns, Becks
Subject:
FW: Minister's office request about Select Committee.
Kia ora Becks
1982
Can you keep an eye on this so we stay on track and don’t overcook it.9(2)(g)(i)
9(2)(g)(i)
over honest errors or interpretation of questions rather than the
implication we are trying to mislead anyone.
ACT
Nga mihi
Kerry
Kerry Gregory (ia/he/him)
Chief Executive / National Commander
Tumu Whakarae / Toihau a-Motu
Te Ratonga Ahi Me Nga Ohotata i Aotearoa / Fire and Emergency NZ
Executive Assistant – Tracey Morgan
[email address]
INFORMATION
OFFICIAL
Fire moves incredibly fast – a house fire can kill within three minutes.
THE
From: Coats, Emma <[email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 25 March 2026 1:59 pm
To: Gregory, Kerry <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Minister's office request about Select Committee.
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I think it’s slightly more than that – although it depends on how you look at it. For example, recently Darryl said
“billion” and he meant million (so a minor one). Another example is where Megan said $300 million, and she
should have said $30 million. So again, minor.
The ones that Mr Costley is getting at though, aren’t really corrections or errors – they’re matters of
interpretation and asking di erent questions at di erent times. I will make an attempt at explaining this issue
in my response too – we may wish to not go there, but I’ll give you the option.
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Emma.
Emma Coats (she/her)
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services
6

From: Gregory, Kerry <[email address]>
Sent: Wednesday, 25 March 2026 1:54 pm
To: Coats, Emma <[email address]>
Subject: RE: Minister's office request about Select Committee.

Thanks Emma

Is it twice? One me and one Megan?

Nga mihi
1982
Kerry

Kerry Gregory (ia/he/him)
ACT
Chief Executive / National Commander
Tumu Whakarae / Toihau a-Motu
Te Ratonga Ahi Me Nga Ohotata i Aotearoa / Fire and Emergency NZ

Executive Assistant – Tracey Morgan
[email address]

INFORMATION


Fire moves incredibly fast – a house fire can kill within three minutes.


From: Coats, Emma <[email address]>
OFFICIAL
Sent: Wednesday, 25 March 2026 1:52 pm
To: Gregory, Kerry <[email address]>
Cc: Purdy, Darryl <[email address]>; De Malmanche, Karen
THE
<[email address]>; Kearns, Becks <[email address]>; Hadfield, Jay
<[email address]>; Boag, Gabby <[email address]>; Cameron, Emma
<[email address]>
Subject: Minister's office request about Select Committee.

Kia ora Kerry,
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I’ve just taken a call from Lillie. The Minister’s o ice has asked for a record of all the times we’ve had to correct
ourselves at Select Committee with a deadline of end of day today. I understand this is o  the back of a video
Tim Costley has on his Facebook page.

I’ll start pulling it together now and send you what I have as soon as possible.

Emma.
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Emma Coats (she/her)
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services

National Headquarters, Level 7, 42 – 52 Willis Street
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
7

M: 9(2)(a)
E: Emma.Coats@ﬁreandemergency.nz
ACT 1982
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From:
Coats, Emma
Sent:
Friday, 13 March 2026 5:03 pm
To:
Executive Leadership Team; Chief Advisors; ELT Executive Assistants; T3 Managers
Cc:
Board and Ministerial Services Team
Subject:
BAMs Friday email - she's a big one.
Attachments:
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1982
Kia ora koutou,
ACT
After not sending you an update last week, I’m making up for it this week with a ridiculously long one. Sorry, but
also please at least skim read all of it!
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Governance and Administration Committee
14

The second and final tranche of post-hearing questions have now been sent to the committee (they’re
attached) and before we had a chance to take a breath, Jim Stuart-Black and Ken Cooper appeared before the
committee to talk about trucks.
The hearing was a short 20 minute one on 11 March focused on the MAN cab-chassis appliances discussed at
the Annual Review. Fire and Emergency was represented by Jim and Ken, given the technical nature of the
topic.
Most of the discussion centred on clarifying the status of the 30 MAN appliances. Officials explained that 16
vehicles have completed acceptance testing and are currently being used for training, while the remaining 14
are still progressing through acceptance, with all 30 expected to be operational by the end of the next financial
year.
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Members also asked broader questions about fleet reliability, aerial appliance replacements, and future fleet
investment. Officials noted that a new fault-management system is being developed to better capture
breakdown data across the fleet, and confirmed that five new aerial appliances are expected to arrive later this
ACT
year.
We’ve since received 3 follow-up questions which we’ll draft responses to next week.
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INFORMATION
Emma Coats (she/her)
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services Team, O ice of the CE

National Headquarters, Level 7, 42 – 52 Willis Street
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
M: 9(2)(a)

OFFICIAL
E: Emma.Coats@ﬁreandemergency.nz

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From:
Coats, Emma
Sent:
Tuesday, 10 March 2026 8:26 am
To:
Gregory, Kerry
Cc:
Purdy, Darryl; Kearns, Becks; Sinclair, Sarah; Stiffler, Megan
Subject:
RE: Select Committee attendees.
Categories:
ELT/Board, Reading
1982
Thank you, Kerry. Yes I will absolutely attend with Jim and Ken.
ACT
We have a pack nearly signed o , and a plan for a practice. We’ve also developed a very pretty and informative
A4 visual of the ‘story’ of the MAN appliances and what needs to happen with a truck before it is operational.
Our intent is to provide those A4s to the Committee – I’ll be sending it to you for approval later today.
I’ll keep you updated throughout.
Emma.
Emma Coats (she/her)
INFORMATION
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services
From: Gregory, Kerry <[email address]>
Sent: Tuesday, 10 March 2026 8:13 am
To: Coats, Emma <[email address]>
Cc: Purdy, Darryl <[email address]>; Kearns, Becks <[email address]>;
Sinclair, Sarah <[email address]>; Stiffler, Megan <[email address]>
OFFICIAL
Subject: RE: Select Committee attendees.
Kia ora Emma
THE
I agree, Jim Stuart Black and Ken Cooper are best to represent us in this regard. Jim will be the lead
for this conversation and Ken can support around the training requirements or any operational
elements that arise. It is important to represent at the right level of the organisation to provide the
detail and this is di erent to the annual appearances.
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In saying that bwe need to support them to be successful and so need to create topic speciﬁc pack
for them and have a practice session where they can be exposed to a mock setup with questions to
respond to and feedback. I expect your team will already be all over that.
Can you please check availability of our two representatives and ensure they are adequately
prepared. I would also see you attending and sitting at the back to ensure we are prepared and place
a political lens over the discussions as Jim and Ken will be engaged in the korero. It does not need
DCE attendance.
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Nga mihi
Kerry
Kerry Gregory (ia/he/him)
20

Chief Executive / National Commander
Tumu Whakarae / Toihau a-Motu
Te Ratonga Ahi Me Nga Ohotata i Aotearoa / Fire and Emergency NZ

Executive Assistant – Tracey Morgan
[email address]

1982


ACT
Fire moves incredibly fast – a house fire can kill within three minutes.


From: Coats, Emma <[email address]>
Sent: Monday, 9 March 2026 3:48 pm
To: Gregory, Kerry <[email address]>
Cc: Purdy, Darryl <[email address]>; Kearns, Becks <[email address]>
Subject: Select Committee attendees.

Kia ora Kerry,
INFORMATION

I know you have a lot on today, but I wanted to get in touch as the Governance and Administration Committee
have asked me to conﬁrm who is attending the hearing today.

My view is that we should send Jim and Ken, with a DCE level person in support (perhaps they can sit behind).
My reasoning is:
  The Committee has called this session at short notice, and it is a brief (20-minute) follow-up focused
OFFICIAL
speciﬁcally on the MAN cab responses.
  The discussion is likely to be quite technical and operational, so Jim and Ken are best placed to
respond directly to the detailed questions the Committee may have.
  Matching the level of attendee to the subject matter is fairly typical practice for appearances of this
THE
sort, particularly where the Committee is drilling into speciﬁc operational detail rather than
governance or organisational performance.
  We have appeared before the Committee relatively recently for the Annual Review, so this reads as a
continuation of that technical discussion rather than a further senior-level hearing.
  The 20-minute format also favours sending the o icials closest to the issue, as the Committee will
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likely want direct answers rather than responses that need to be deferred to supporting o icials.
  The MAN cab issue sits within operational and ﬂeet management accountability, which normally sits
below CE level.

I can hold them at bay if needed, but if you felt comfortable making a decision now, I’ll communicate that to
the Committee.

Thanks Kerry, happy to discuss,

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Emma.

Emma Coats (she/her)
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services

National Headquarters, Level 7, 42 – 52 Willis Street
21

PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
M: 9(2)(a)

E: Emma.Coats@ﬁreandemergency.nz

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FR-26-02 Fortnightly Report
IN CONFIDENCE
Page 1 of 4

Updates
Governance and Administration Select Committee appearance
Fire and Emergency appeared before the Governance and Administration Select Committee on 28 January 2026 for a
combined Annual Review and Scrutiny hearing.
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Members’ questioning focused on the condition, reliability, and long-term investment needs of the appliance fleet,
including procurement processes, the deployment of new vehicles, and the availability of specialist assets such as aerial
appliances. There was also sustained interest in whether firefighters have the equipment they need, and how historic
underinvestment is being addressed through current asset management planning.
ACT
The Committee spent significant time on industrial relations and bargaining with the NZPFU, including workforce
sustainability, the impact of strikes, and the use of facilitation. Members also raised questions about the decision to
cease operating powered watercraft, seeking assurance around safety, legal compliance, and the availability of
alternative water-rescue arrangements.
Operational readiness was tested through discussion of recent extreme weather events, wildfire response, and real-
time decision-making. Wider topics included levy funding and long-term financial sustainability, forestry levy
arrangements, recruitment and training capacity (including live fire training), station and staffing models, and public
communication about local capabilities.
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From:
Coats, Emma
Sent:
Thursday, 5 March 2026 12:11 pm
To:
Keoghan, Rebecca; Executive Leadership Team
Cc:
Kearns, Becks; Cameron, Emma; Boag, Gabby; Hadfield, Jay; Ministerial Services; ELT
Executive Assistants; Chief Advisors
Subject:
FW: 2024/25 Annual Review hearing FENZ
Follow Up Flag:
Follow up
1982
Flag Status:
Completed
ACT
Kia ora,
We have just this morning received an email from the Governance and Administration Committee.
They have received our ﬁrst tranche of post-hearing questions and are asking if o icials are available from
1pm to 1.20pm on Wednesday 11 March. To quote the email, “the committee has indicated it is speciﬁcally
interested in discussing the responses in relation to the MAN cabs.”
In the ﬁrst instance, we will send a holding appointment from the Governance calendar to all of you. The same
group who attended last time may go, but it’s useful to have the meeting in everyone’s calendars in case a
di erent group attend.
INFORMATION
My team have started prep. We will be in touch by the end of today with further details about prep and plans for
the day itself.
Emma.
Emma Coats (she/her)
OFFICIAL
National Manager, Board and Ministerial Services
National Headquarters, Level 7, 42 – 52 Willis Street
THE
PO Box 2133, Wellington 6011
M: 9(2)(a)

E: Emma.Coats@ﬁreandemergency.nz
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From:
Coats, Emma
Sent:
Friday, 30 January 2026 1:49 pm
To:
Executive Leadership Team; Chief Advisors; ELT Executive Assistants; T3 Managers
Cc:
Board and Ministerial Services Team
Subject:
BAMS Friday email.
Attachments:
Hāpai Public Newsletter
1982
Kia ora!
Governance and Administration Committee
ACT
This week was our appearance before the Governance and Expenditure Select Committee. If you missed it, it’s
here (skip to the 40min mark).
A summary of key topics covered in the hearing are as follows:
Fleet condition and investment

Sustained questioning on the age, condition, reliability, and composition of the appliance ﬂeet,
including MAN and Scania chassis, breakdowns, and lifecycle targets.

Discussion of what constitutes a “contemporary ﬂeet”, how vehicles operate as a network, and
long-term asset investment pressures.
New appliances and procurement

Clariﬁcation on the location and deployment of new trucks (including the 30 referenced vehicles).
INFORMATION

Questions on procurement processes, New Zealand manufacturing options, and Government
procurement constraints.
Aerial appliances

Availability, reliability, build progress, and national su iciency of aerial appliances.

Hypothetical high-rise ﬁre scenarios and how tactics adapt when aerial capability is constrained.
Fireﬁghter equipment and asset management
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
Direct questioning on whether ﬁreﬁghters have the equipment they need.

Broader discussion of historic underinvestment and current work on asset management planning.
Industrial relations and NZPFU bargaining
THE

Causes of the dispute, o ers made, salary increases, and operational impacts of strikes.

Workforce sustainability issues including overtime, sick leave, and the use of facilitated bargaining.
Powered watercraft capability

Repeated questioning on the loss of capability following Maritime compliance issues.

Certiﬁcation, legislative compliance, safety considerations, and cost implications.
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Operational readiness and recent events

Preparedness for recent extreme weather, pre-deployment decisions, rescues undertaken, and
real-time tactical decision-making.
Public information and local engagement

How the public is informed about Fire and Emergency capabilities.

Whether Local Advisory Committees are advised of changes to local capability.
Levy funding and ﬁnancial sustainability

Levy volat
RELEASED ility, savings initiatives, reinvestment of savings, and long-term sustainability.

Questions on the fairness and ﬁtness of the levy model, noting this is a matter for Government.
Forestry and wildﬁre

Wildﬁre performance measures, tactics, and decision-making.

Levy arrangements for forestry owners and working relationships with the sector.
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Workforce, training, and stations
  Recruitment pipeline, training capacity (including live ﬁre training arrangements), station closures,
sta ing levels, and criteria for career versus volunteer models.
Integrity and speciﬁc incidents
  Vetting processes and criminal convictions.
  Pakuranga ﬁre: delay in attendance, operational impact, and Committee acknowledgement of
responding ﬁreﬁghters.
The hearing covered largely the same ground as our previous appearance in late 2024. 9(2)(g)(i)
     1982

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From:
Gregory, Kerry
Sent:
Thursday, 29 January 2026 6:51 pm
To:
Executive Leadership Team
Cc:
Duncan, Amanda; Coats, Emma; Chief Advisors
Subject:
FW: CE Report to the Chair week ending 30 January 2026
Attachments:
Week ending 30 January CE Report to Board Chair.pdf
1982
FYI
Nga mihi
ACT
Kerry
Kerry Gregory (ia/he/him)
Chief Executive / National Commander
Tumu Whakarae / Toihau a-Motu
Te Ratonga Ahi Me Nga Ohotata i Aotearoa / Fire and Emergency NZ
Executive Assistant – Tracey Morgan
[email address]
INFORMATION
OFFICIAL
Fire moves incredibly fast – a house fire can kill within three minutes.
From: Gregory, Kerry
THE
Sent: Thursday, 29 January 2026 6:48 pm
To: Keoghan, Rebecca <[email address]>
Subject: CE Report to the Chair week ending 30 January 2026
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Kia ora Rebecca
Please see weekly briefing note which is intended as a weekly snapshot rather than in-depth
analysis.
Always happy to discuss further if you want further context to any item.
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Nga mihi
Kerry
Kerry Gregory (ia/he/him)
Chief Executive / National Commander
85

Tumu Whakarae / Toihau a-Motu
Te Ratonga Ahi Me Nga Ohotata i Aotearoa / Fire and Emergency NZ

Executive Assistant – Tracey Morgan
[email address]

1982


Fire moves incredibly fast – a house fire can kill within three minutes.
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Governance and Administration Annual Review 2024/25 – 28 January 2026
A summary of key topics covered in the Annual Review 2024/25 Select Committee hearing, held on the morning of 28
January 2026 is below:
Fleet condition and investment
•  Sustained questioning on the age, condition, reliability, and composition of the appliance fleet, including MAN and
Scania chassis, breakdowns, and lifecycle targets.
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•  Discussion of what constitutes a “contemporary fleet”, how vehicles operate as a network, and long-term asset
investment pressures.
New appliances and procurement
•
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Clarification on the location and deployment of new trucks (including the 30 referenced vehicles).
•  Questions on procurement processes, New Zealand manufacturing options, and Government procurement
constraints.
Aerial appliances
•  Availability, reliability, build progress, and national sufficiency of aerial appliances.
•  Hypothetical high-rise fire scenarios and how tactics adapt when aerial capability is constrained.
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Firefighter equipment and asset management
•  Direct questioning on whether firefighters have the equipment they need.
•  Broader discussion of historic underinvestment and current work on asset management planning.
Industrial relations and NZPFU bargaining
•  Causes of the dispute, offers made, salary increases, and operational impacts of strikes.
•  Workforce sustainability issues including overtime, sick leave, and the use of facilitated bargaining.
Powered watercraft capability
•
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Repeated questioning on the loss of capability following Maritime compliance issues.
•  Certification, legislative compliance, safety considerations, and cost implications.
Operational readiness and recent events
•  Preparedness for recent extreme weather, pre-deployment decisions, rescues undertaken, and real-time tactical
decision-making.

Public information and local engagement
•  How the public is informed about Fire and Emergency capabilities.
•  Whether Local Advisory Committees are advised of changes to local capability.
Levy funding and financial sustainability
•  Levy volatility, savings initiatives, reinvestment of savings, and long-term sustainability.
•  Questions on the fairness and fitness of the levy model, noting this is a matter for Government.
Forestry and wildfire
•  Wildfire performance measures, tactics, and decision-making.
•  Levy arrangements for forestry owners and working relationships with the sector.
1982
Workforce, training, and stations
•  Recruitment pipeline, training capacity (including live fire training arrangements), station closures, staffing levels,
and criteria for career versus volunteer models.
ACT
Integrity and specific incidents
•  Vetting processes and criminal convictions.
•  Pakuranga fire: delay in attendance, operational impact, and Committee acknowledgement of responding
firefighters.

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From:
Roberts, Conor
Sent:
Tuesday, 27 January 2026 2:29 pm
To:
Gregory, Kerry; Kearns, Becks; Coats, Emma; Stiffler, Megan; Purdy, Darryl; Duncan,
Amanda
Subject:
Select committee messaging suggestions
Categories:
ELT/Board
1982
Hi all,
ACT
Here are some suggested messages for issues that came up in the select committee practice today.
Happy to discuss approach if you want to give me a call.
Kind regards,
Conor
Questions on industrial dispute (Megan)
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We’ve been working in good faith to achieve a positive, sustainable and fair collective agreement.
We’re currently in a process of independent facilitated bargaining with the ERA and believe this has
the best chance of bringing the parties together.
Prior to facilitation, we believe we presented an o er that was fair, reasonable and in line with other
settlements across the public service – but it was more than 3 times under what the NZPFU was
asking for – hence why we asked for facilitation.
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We value the incredible dedication of our people, which is why over the past decade average senior
ﬁreﬁghter pay has cumulatively increased by 37 percent, or more than 10 percent above the average
THE
total increase for all workers.
We remain committed to the facilitation process as the best chance to progress toward a settlement
and have called on the NZPFU to call o  its strikes while that process plays out. We’ve approached
talks in good faith with the goal of reaching a fair, sustainable, and reasonable settlement with the
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NZPFU that keeps our communities safe.
Right to strike (Kerry or Megan)
We recognise the right to take industrial action. However, it’s our duty to protect the public and we
have sought on three occasions to engage with the union to agree a process for managing incidents
during strike periods if there is a risk to life, risk to signiﬁcant escalation or we require specialist
equipment – but have been rebu ed each time.
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Members will be aware there are di erent requirements for other services. We’re not seeking a
legislative ﬁx and think we should be able to come to a reasonable agreement with the union. We
note it has called o  the two most recent strikes recognising the impact of weather events on public
safety, so clearly it sees there is an issue here.
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We have also made the point it is disappointing the NZPFU continues to undertake strike action and
put the public at risk when we are in the process of independent facilitation.

CCTV coverage (Kerry)

I reject the accusation we have been spying on NZPFU members. The events publicised by the union
reﬂect incidences where we’d either received reports from the public or police of strikers creating
hazards on roadways, or were in relation to conduct issues – although no issues were identiﬁed when
sta  observed the CCTV footage alongside AT and police sta .
1982

Tax vs levies (Kerry or Darryl)

ACT
This issue has been looked at many times in the past.

There is no question a levy system creates some challenges, both in terms of a ordability for levy
payers, but also in terms of variability when there are changes in how much and how broad that levy
base is.

We’ve provided advice on the pros and cons of di erent systems to successive administrations –
however, there are no current plans to revisit the issue, which in the end is a matter for the
government of the day.

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What I would say is that, whatever system we operate under, we would approach the issues of
e iciency and structure design the same way, given their importance for the future of the
organisation.

Conor Roberts
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Corporate Aﬀairs Consultant
Poutoko ki Te Tumu Whakarae
Fire and Emergency New Zealand  THE

Mobile: 9(2)(a)

Email:    conor.roberts@ﬁreandemergency.nz

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www.ﬁreandemergency.nz

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