Operational Context
Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) has undergone repeated industrial action since October 2025, with one-hour strike windows creating notable secondary impacts despite their brief duration. Past actions resulted in slower emergency response times, higher reliance on volunteer crews and extended delays for non-life-threatening incidents. Urban centres such as Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch are structurally sensitive due to high-density populations, critical infrastructure and proximity of major business districts to key fire stations. Industrial action within emergency services is further complicated by concurrent labour pressures in aviation and health sectors, increasing the potential for cumulative operational strain. December’s seasonal hot and dry conditions can elevate fire risk, making even brief response delays consequential for life safety and asset protection.
Executive Summary
- Event Date: 05, 12, 19 December
- Location: New Zealand
- Risk Category: Civil Disturbance
- Severity Level: 3 / 5
- Confidence Score: 75 %
Paid firefighters will undertake one-hour strike actions on 05, 12 and 19 December. Based on previous events, operational impacts may persist for 24–72 hours after each strike, including delayed responses, temporary capacity gaps and higher risk to assets and vulnerable populations.
Known Hotspots & Sensitive Zones
High-Impact Zones: Auckland CBD (Queen Street corridor), Wellington CBD (Lambton Quay, Parliamentary precinct), Christchurch CBD, major hospitals (Auckland DHB, Wellington Hospital, Christchurch Hospital).
Medium-Impact Zones: Industrial zones, logistics hubs and retail complexes where incident escalation can be rapid.
Low-Impact Zones: Rural and low-density areas with established volunteer crew coverage.
These zones show recurring sensitivity during past short-duration strikes and heatwave periods.
Impact on Transportation & Services
Transport networks are not expected to be directly disrupted; however, local traffic diversions may occur near pickets or station forecourts. Air travel may experience indirect impacts if strike windows coincide with aviation sector industrial action, increasing pressure on airport safety services. Digital services and telecoms remain unaffected, though 111 call centres may experience temporary overload, causing slower triage. Businesses with hot-work operations, hazardous materials, or critical facilities face short-term elevated risk due to reduced rapid-response coverage.
Recommended Action
Immediate Measures:
- Activate an Incident Response Cell seventy-two hours prior to each strike.
- Implement fire-watch rosters, suspend hot-work, and deploy portable suppression units to high-risk sites.
- Test sprinklers, alarms, pumps and emergency lighting within forty-eight hours prior; lock down any zone with unresolved safety defects.
Strategic Measures:
- Enhance corporate fire-risk controls and ensure service providers can supply private fire-watch support during strike windows.
- Strengthen coordination with local councils and emergency services; maintain transparent communication with insurers and clients.
- Integrate preparedness tools and structured alerting mechanisms (e.g., Datasurfr) into fire-risk monitoring
Multi-Dimensional Impact
Concurrent high temperatures, measles-related health pressures, or overlapping aviation strikes may heighten response delays and logistical strain, particularly at hospitals and airports. These factors can amplify risks during the one-hour strike windows and extend operational disruption.
Emergency Contacts
- New Zealand Emergency Services: 111
- Fire and Emergency New Zealand: fireandemergency.nz/
- Police Non-Emergency: 105
Situational Outlook
Baseline scenario suggests one-hour strikes proceed; volunteer crews manage urgent cases; minor delays for non-critical incidents. Moderate escalation may occur if strikes overlap with heatwave or other sector actions, causing multi-hour delays and isolated serious incidents. Severe outcomes remain unlikely but could involve escalation of strikes or coincide with multiple emergencies, leading to extended service degradation and potential casualties.
Strategic Takeaway
The December strike series requires proactive mitigation due to repeat patterns of emergency-response delays. Organisations should prioritise risk controls, pre-position resources and maintain strong situational awareness. Decision-makers can strengthen resilience through early-warning platforms such as MitKat’s Datasurfr, enabling timely assessments and rapid operational adjustments.
Stay ahead of operational risks with real-time alerts, scenario modeling, and expert advisories with datasurfr’s Predict. Start your 14-day free trial of Datasurfr’s Risk Intelligence Platform today.
