Hello everybody,

Welcome to 2017. We are five months from the start of Fire and Emergency NZ when 40 organisations amalgamate into one. There will be a lot happening over these five months and I understand you will have a range of questions about exactly what Fire and Emergency NZ will mean for you.

As we wrap up the information gathering and high-level planning phase, and move into detailed planning and preparation for implementation, and decisions are made, the information available to you will increase – through meetings, your leaders, in print and online. This means Day One – and what you need to know to prepare for Day One – will become clearer. 

Over the past few months the Transition Project Team has been focused on gathering information, particularly across rural – currently made up of 38 different organisations and the National Rural Fire Authority (NRFA). This information provides us with better understanding of current assets, volunteers and employees who work across both fire and other council business, IT systems, the cost of delivering rural services… the list goes on.  For the NZFS, knowing this detail is just as important, but has been a little easier, as it is already one organisation with mainly centralised corporate functions and systems to work with.

The information gathering process highlights both the scale and implication of what the amalgamation means for New Zealand.  Together we are creating an organisation that will serve all New Zealanders across the length and breadth of the country; that’s a real honour and one not lost on the Transition Project Team. Find out more about the work that has been done to date in the End of Year Progress Summary, which is on our website.

Working out the detail

We’re now into working out the detail in areas that need to be addressed before 1 July, as outlined in our Blueprint for Day One.  For example, workshops on how we support fire permits  and corporate ICT systems are in progress. Thanks to the rural survey responses, we have a good picture of rural assets – the results will be shared with the Rural Fire Authorities shortly.  We’re already building the new website, new intranet, developing the Statement of Intent, Statement of Performance Expectations, Operational Service Agreements with the Department of Conservation and the New Zealand Defence Force, and budget processes. Much of this work is under the hood, but is vital from the perspective of creating an operational Crown Entity on Day One.

Discussing our identity

Over the next few weeks, representatives from across the fire services sector will start taking part in sessions where we’ll be talking about our identity and what’s important to people.  This is building on the feedback some of you have already provided in a number of forums in December.  Identity is rightly an area that many people are passionate about, and we are focussing on getting it right

Local Advisory Committees

Local Advisory Committees (LAC) are designed to help Fire and Emergency NZ stay close to the risks and needs of communities across New Zealand.  Formerly referred to as Local Committees, the name was changed as part of updates made to the Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill by the Select Committee and reported in late December. Each LAC may have a different makeup as they’ll reflect the needs of their local community. They are not operational, management or governance committees. 

It’s important we understand how these will work early, so we can plan for their implementation after 1 July 2017. In December we held the first meeting of the first greater Auckland pilot to start developing guidelines and processes for the LACs, and the second meeting will occur soon. In February, the Board will decide on the location of the second pilot.

Keeping you in the loop

One way you can stay in touch with what’s happening is by following us on Facebook. You’ll find us under fenztransition. Otherwise you can email us on myvoice@fenzproject.co.nz – we aim to answer questions within a few days.

This update, and other information about the Project’s background and progress, including resources for our leaders, is on our website (fenzproject.co.nz).

David

PS – Please feel free to forward this update to your team, or print it out to go on your noticeboard.