Firefighters will be walking off the job for the 50th time since bargaining with Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) began in 2024.

Members of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union (NZPFU) will go on strike for one hour, from 12pm to 1pm, on Friday.

Secretary Wattie Watson said their members had not had a pay increase since July 2023.

That is despite FENZ having offered an increase of 2.4 percent for non-union members earlier this month.

Watson said it was an unprecedented level of industrial action in New Zealand, but was needed due to union busting and retaliatory action from FENZ.

In a statement, deputy national commander Megan Stiffler said it remained focused on achieving a fair and sustainable settlement with the NZPFU, "so we can continue working to keep communities safe".

Watson said the only offer made by FENZ was in July 2025, which offered 2 percent for 12 months from the date a deal was ratified, and 1.5 percent for each of the two following years.

However, Stiffler said the offer would have had a 2.2 percent increase from December 2025, and 2 percent from January 2027 over a 24-month term to the end of November 2027.

The offer would have cost $50 million over four years, Stiffler added, whereas NZPFU's settlement proposal was for more than $130m over the same period.

"We continue to call on the NZPFU to call off these reckless strikes while we remain engaged with the Employment Relations Authority (ERA) to try and come to a resolution," Stiffler said.

Stiffler said the ERA had proposed both FENZ and the NZPFU to exchange their full revised bargaining positions at the same time, to help assess whether further facilitation was likely to assist, but NZPFU refused.

Watson said that NZPFU had been clear that it wanted to return to bargaining, but after more than 50 days of negotiations, there was no point unless FENZ was going to make a new offer.

FENZ to prioritise emergencies

FENZ warned that it would prioritise emergencies, and may not attend less serious incidents, during the one-hour strike.

Stiffler said all 111 calls would be received and responded to, and it had an arrangement with Hato Hone St John and the Wellington Free Ambulance for medical events in impacted areas.

"However, our response times will be delayed in impacted areas as volunteer crews will be responding from the next closest location. So, we are asking the public to remain extra careful."

Stiffler said FENZ may not attend less serious incidents such as private fire alarms where there is no sign of fire, small rubbish fires, traffic-management assistance, and animal rescues.