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RNZ News
4 days ago
- Climate
- RNZ News
Strong wind warnings for lower North Island, parts of South Island
Strong wind warnings and watches are in place in parts of the South Island and lower west North Island. Photo: MetService Firefighters have attended multiple weather callouts overnight as strong winds batter the lower South Island, including for fallen trees and roofs lifting off houses. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) said it had received 10 callouts in Invercargill since 2am on Saturday, and a few in Dunedin since 5am. A strong wind warning was in force for southern Fiordland, Southland, Stewart Island, Clutha and Dunedin until Saturday afternoon, where severe gale southwesterlies could gust up to 130km/h in exposed places. MetService said the strongest winds were expected overnight on Friday and during Saturday morning. Squally thunderstorms were also possible near the coast during Saturday morning. It said the possible impact was damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures. Motorists were warned that driving may be difficult, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles. "Prepare your property by securing items that can be picked up by strong winds. Drive cautiously" A wind warning was also in place for part of Hawke's Bay and the Tararua District until Saturday night. The weather warnings follow a tornado in Hamilton on Thursday night that caused property damage including a trampoline lifted into powerlines, and a hailstorm that pelted Cambridge that afternoon. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
Firefighters Union calls for independent inquiry into FENZ's complaints process
FENZ chief executive & national commander Kerry Gregory. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi The Professional Firefighters' Union is calling for independent inquiry by the Auditor General into Fire and Emergency New Zealand's complaints process. Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has apologised unreservedly to a former volunteer firefighter for failing to properly investigate a series of complaints. It has been nearly 10 years since Sarah Hullah made her first complaint to FENZ about sexual harassment. Now an 111-page independent report by Simon Mount KC, released on Wednesday, details 33 failings by FENZ over the way it handled her initial complaint, and several after that. These include failure to comply with its own processes, conflicts of interest, unreasonable delays, and a failure to learn from at least two previous, highly critical external reviews. FENZ chief executive and national commander Kerry Gregory said significant changes to the way complaints were managed had been made, including introducing an independent service that specialises in conflict resolution and complaint management. However, The Professional Firefighters Union secretary Wattie Watson told Nine to Noon that nothing had changed and Fire and Emergency's complaints system was neither independent, nor fair. "Many, many, many of those 33 findings of that report are still occurring today," she said. She said the Union was now calling for a proper inquiry into what has occurred. "The report into Sarah's case is a very good springboard for that because it shows - particularly from 2019 onwards - no matter what FENZ has put in place it has not worked, and it has not changed the fairness in the workplace whatsoever," she said. The Union wanted something similar to an Auditor General Inquiry. "There needs to be a really robust inquiry, I'd be interested to know what FENZ has spent on trying to not deal with Sarah's case. "We need an inquiry because this is utter mismanagement. The CEO and the Board need to be held to account, and the staff and volunteers at FENZ deserve a fair process to have their matters addressed," she said. National Secretary of the Professional Fire Fighters' Union Wattie Watson. Photo: Supplied/ Nudo Group The union had previously believed that FENZ could manage its own complaints process, but Watson said this report confirmed they could not and should not. "We now believe it has to be a completely independent external body to handle that process, and mainly because of the protections that are going on in management," Watson said. Watson said one of the key problems was that many of those working at FENZ were inexperienced because the bulk of employees were firefighters. "We have cases currently where the head of finance is going to be making a decision on whether the actions of someone in a hot fire situation acted appropriately in how they interacted with someone else at the scene," she said. Watson said the Union has no faith in FENZ and if an employee or volunteer makes a complaint against someone in higher management or high leadership, then they won't have a fair and proper process. "We have experience where there are managers that are subject to repeated complaints and are never investigated, in fact they are protected. "We have situations where management have coerced, pressured or put unreasonable restriction in place - particularly by a refusal to manage conflicts of interest, to make sure those complaints don't go anywhere else. "We've got examples where people have complained about the behaviours of managers, relatively high level managers, and yet they've ended up with disciplinary action against them," Watson said. FENZ chief executive and national commander Kerry Gregory said he apologised "publicly and unreservedly to Ms Hullah for the failure to properly investigate". He said FENZ had accepted all 33 findings, and separately, reached a resolution with Hullah. The organisation continued to work on a programme to change its culture, "to create a safer, more positive and inclusive environment for all our people. We are striving to become a different organisation". Already, significant changes had been made to how complaints were managed, including introducing an independent service that specialises in conflict resolution and complaint management. "Bullying, harassment and victimisation have no place in Fire and Emergency, and we take all allegations of any such behaviour very seriously. I am committed to creating an environment where everyone feels safe, and that any complaints are handled appropriately," he said. "I am confident that if complaints like those addressed in the review occurred today, they would be handled through a more robust and transparent process." He would not be drawn on whether people found at fault, whose names had been redacted from the report, had been moved out of their positions within FENZ. "The people involved haven't been given the tools to do it well, and the process didn't support them to do that well, so anyone who was involved through the 10-year period who may or may not still be in the organisation, wasn't necessarily well supported by the organisation as a whole." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
5 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ complaints system neither independent, nor fair: Union
The Professional Fire Fighters Union says Fire and Emergency's complaints system is neither independent, nor fair. FENZ has apologised unreservedly to a former volunteer firefighter for failing to properly investigate a series of complaints, which began nearly a decade ago. A scathing 111 page independent report by Simon Mount KC, issued yesterday, details a list of 33 failings by FENZ in handling her initial complaint and several after that. These include failure to comply with its own processes, conflicts of interest, and unreasonable delays, and a failure to learn from at least two previous, highly critical external reviews. FENZ Chief Executive & National Commander Kerry Gregory says significant changes to how complaints are managed have been made including introducing an independent service that specialises in conflict resolution and complaint management. He says the complaints service puts people at the heart of the investigation and is robust and transparent. But the Professional Firefighters Union, which represents more than two thousand paid firefighters, disagrees. Union Secretary Wattie Watson joins Susie. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ National Commander apologises for complaint failings
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Fire and Emergency National Commander and Chief Executive Kerry Gregory talks to Kathryn about the unreserved apology he has made to a former volunteer firefighter, Sarah Hullah, for FENZ failing to properly investigate a series of complaints. It is nearly 10 years since Ms Hullah made her first complaint to FENZ about sexual harassment. A scathing 111 page independent report by Simon Mount KC, issued yesterday, details a list of 33 failings by FENZ in handling her initial complaint and several after that.
RNZ News
6 days ago
- General
- RNZ News
FENZ apologises to volunteer firefighter after 10 year battle
Fire and Emergency chief executive Kerry Gregory. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Fire and Emergency New Zealand has apologised unreservedly to a former volunteer firefighter for failing to properly investigate a series of complaints. It is nearly 10 years since Sarah Hullah made her first complaint to FENZ about sexual harassment. A scathing 111 page independent report by Simon Mount KC, issued yesterday, details a list of 33 failings by FENZ in handling her initial complaint and several after that. These include failure to comply with its own processes, conflicts of interest, and unreasonable delays, and a failure to learn from at least two previous, highly critical external reviews, including one by Judge Coral Shaw. The exact nature of her initial and subsequent complaints are redacted, but the report repeatedly references a culture of bullying and finds that FENZ treated Ms Hullah as a "risk" to be managed, rather than a person with legitimate concerns. FENZ Chief Executive & National Commander Kerry Gregory says "I apologise publicly and unreservedly to Ms Hullah for the failure to properly investigate". He says bullying, harassment, and victimisation have no place in Fire and Emergency, and FENZ takes all allegations of any such behaviour very seriously.
