A National MP says Fire and Emergency (FENZ) has fundamental questions it still needs to answer about replacing old fire trucks.

FENZ told a select committee inquiry on Monday it was improving procurement processes that had not been robust enough.

But Ōtaki MP Tim Costley, who helped spark the inquiry, said on Tuesday a lot of it was "platitudes".

"I've heard a lot on Monday about process and all the new documents they've written. They've gone from a 25-year strategy to a 10-year plan to a five-year strategy - they are just closing in around them.

"But actually we don't need more paper, we need more firetrucks."

Simple issues like spending on a PR consultant and lawyer were one thing, Costley said, but deeper questions were around the 30 medium-sized Type 3 firetrucks still not on the road after years, about how the supplier of those was chosen and about what was happening with the bigger, long-ladder "aerial" trucks.

FENZ commanders Kerry Gregory and Megan Stiffler said on Monday they opted for a new five-year strategy because technology was changing so fast.

They said the changing demands on the agency were also complicating the choice of new trucks and aerials.

Costley questioned why FENZ reports said five new aerials on order had undergone "final" testing in mid-2025, when it was now clear they were still being tested.

Stiffler said they unearthed problems with them last November as part of pre-operating checks.

Two of the trucks were still in Brisbane being worked on, and three in New Zealand.