Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden says she has “no confidence” in Fire and Emergency NZ chief executive Kerry Gregory – accusing him of withholding information about a serious incident now referred to the Serious Fraud Office.
Van Velden made the comments while answering questions about a damning inquiry that found the poor state of the FENZ fleet was the result of sustained leadership and board failings over many years.
Asked whether she had confidence in the organisation, she said she had been made aware of a “serious breach” within FENZ in the past fortnight.
Why FENZ Minister says she’s lost confidence in organisation’s chief – Watch on TVNZ+
Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory withheld information. (Source: 1News)
“It is of a nature that is so significant that I no longer have confidence in the chief executive of Fire and Emergency, or have confidence that the information that I’m receiving is correct,” she said.
Van Velden said Gregory had “withheld information from me for a full year on a matter of a seriously significant incident”, and that the matter was now with the Serious Fraud Office.
She said she only found out weeks ago, when FENZ board chairperson Raveen Jaduram raised it with her.
“He alerted me to the fact and was surprised that I had not been told,” she said.
Van Velden pointed to a “litany of issues” across her term as minister, including bargaining levy modelling, payroll, fleet procurement and back-office savings.
“I have been holding them accountable on behalf of levy payers,” she said. “The difference in this case is the active withholding of information. This is about public accountability, and that is not possible if the minister is kept in the dark.”
FENZ is funded mainly through a levy attached to property and motor vehicle insurance contracts that cover fire risks. Van Velden said everyone paying that levy should expect a good quality service.
She declined to go into detail, telling reporters the chief executive had kept significant information from her for a full year even after receiving external advice that he needed to tell her.
“Having information of a significant nature withheld from me is not something I would expect of a senior official within the public service. This is a serious breach of trust,” she said.
Van Velden said it was now for the board to “meet immediately to maintain or restore my confidence”.
The number of house fires have risen now that the weather is getting colder, which Fire and Emergency say is due to additional heating measures. (Source: 1News)
FENZ board responds to minister’s comments
1News had scheduled an interview with FENZ officials about the inquiry, but this was cancelled after van Velden’s comments.
A Fire and Emergency New Zealand spokesperson confirmed the board had received the minister’s letter.
“The board can confirm that they have received a letter from the minister expressing no confidence in the chief executive. This will be considered by the board,” the spokesperson said. “The chief executive is currently out of the country attending the World Fire Congress and taking some long-planned leave.”
The Serious Fraud Office confirmed it received a referral from Fire and Emergency last month.
“We are assessing the information provided,” a spokesperson said. “At this stage, no further information can be given, including whether the SFO will open an enquiry or investigation.”
The inquiry that sparked the comments, released on Wednesday, revealed fire trucks worth more than a million dollars each had sat in storage for years – some shipped overseas and back for construction – while frontline crews continued with ageing, breaking-down appliances.
It found the fleet in a worse state than in 2017, and recommended the Government consider whether FENZ was best placed to run its own procurement.
Jaduram accepted the organisation had not performed to a high enough standard in several important areas.
“The report identifies unacceptable delays and weaknesses in setting procurement requirements, contract management and governance oversight,” he said. “Firefighters and communities are entitled to expect better. We apologise for the shortcomings and for the frustration and concerns this has caused.”
He said FENZ also apologised for the inaccurate and untimely information it had provided to the committee.