414 (2026). Ingrid Leary to the Minister of Internal Affairs

414 (2026). Ingrid Leary to the Minister of Internal Affairs: Does Fire and Emergency New Zealand have some redundancy in the fleet around the country to provide for 'surge capacity' at large scale events, how is that calculated, and does that number include breakdowns, or appliances not staffed for whatever reason?

Hon Brooke van Velden: I am advised Fire and Emergency does not hold a separate or reserved “surge” fleet. Surge capacity is managed through a nationally networked, layered response model, in the same way Fire and Emergency manage the surge of personnel and specialist capability. I am further advised that across the country there are approximately 1,280 appliances, with only a proportion in use at any one time. This provides inherent operational redundancy and allows appliances to be redeployed and concentrated to support large-scale events. Surge is not calculated as a fixed number or percentage. It is managed dynamically based on operational demand, geographic location, staffing availability, and vehicle status.