FENZ restructure needs to cut waste at the top

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union says the latest job cuts at Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) are the inevitable result of years of executive-level overspending affecting the frontline.

The Taxpayers’ Union revelealed in September that FENZ employed:

• A Chief Executive being paid $503,000
• 7 Deputy Chief Executives, for a total $2.37 million
• 800 managers and support staff

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Rhys Hurley, said:

“These cuts are the direct result of years of empire building and waste at the top. FENZ has been spending millions on communications teams, HR staff, and consultants while one in four fire trucks rust in sheds or break down on call.”

“Every dollar of the $3 million in remuneration for the top brass is a dollar that’s not spent on the frontline firefighters who save lives and protect our communities. These cuts prove that FENZ’s funding problem isn’t the amount of money it gets, it’s how it’s being spent.”

“This proposal must target the number of overpaid top jobs within fire and emergency. There’s no reason frontline firefighters should pay the price for management’s failure to control spending.”