Parliament’s Governance and Administration Select Committee will conduct an inquiry into Fire and Emergency’s vehicle fleet after months of lobbying by the NZ Professional Firefighters Union and letters from MPs across the aisle.

The union says the decision was made this afternoon. It expects the inquiry to focus on the emergency response fleet, with full details to follow.

In a post to members, the union alleged FENZ chief executive Kerry Gregory and Deputy National Commander Megan Stiffler provided “misinformation or incorrect information” to MPs about the state of the fleet and did not attend a special hearing set up to correct the record, instead sending staff who could not address all questions. National MP Tim Costley and Green MP Mike Davidson subsequently wrote to the committee seeking an inquiry, the union said.

The union claims that since FENZ was established in 2017, no new fire appliances have been delivered to career stations, that Auckland has fewer aerial appliances now than in the 1990s, and that ageing trucks are breaking down en route to calls or mid-response. It says a batch of new trucks now in the country is being used for training but has faults that must be fixed before they can be commissioned, and that no further orders are in the pipeline.

The NZPFU says it will coordinate submissions from members once the committee releases the scope and process. The union also acknowledged support from MPs including National’s Tom Rutherford and Labour MPs Jan Tinetti, who chairs the committee, and Lemauga Lydia Sosene.

The committee has not yet published terms of reference or a timetable for the inquiry.