Privileges Committee declines to investigate Fire and Emergency report leak
Wednesday 23 September 2026 · 2 outlets · 2 reports · updated In this story Fire and Emergency New Zealand, Privileges Committee
Parliament's Privileges Committee has decided not to investigate the source of a leaked Fire and Emergency report published by The Post. The committee stated that a full inquiry would not be a productive use of time because many people had access to the document. No members or staff responded to requests to identify the leaker.
Key facts
4 facts
- The Privileges Committee declined to investigate the source of the FENZ report leak
- The leaked report concerned FENZ fleet management and leadership dysfunction
- National MP Tim Costley raised the matter of privilege regarding the leak
- The committee received no responses to its requests for information from MPs
The full story
1 min read · 2 outlets
Parliament's Privileges Committee has decided not to conduct a full inquiry into how a draft report regarding Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) was leaked to The Post. The committee determined that a thorough investigation would not be a good use of its time because a significant number of people had access to the document. While the committee has the power to call witnesses, the logistics of investigating a document accessible by hundreds of people proved impractical.
The leaked draft report from the Governance and Administration Committee detailed issues with FENZ's leadership and asset management. It highlighted errors in the procurement of fire trucks that were shipped from Europe to New Zealand, then back to England for equipping, and remained out of service six years after purchase. The report suggested that the organisation's governance was unacceptable and called for the replacement of the FENZ board.
Speaker Gerry Brownlee referred the matter to the Privileges Committee after receiving a letter from National MP Tim Costley. Brownlee described the unauthorised release of confidential proceedings as a serious matter that has previously been considered a contempt of the House. The committee wrote to all MPs requesting that they or their staff disclose if they were responsible for the leak, but no responses were received.
Where reports differ
- One report states hundreds of people had access to the report, while another says a significant number of people had access
Compiled from reports by 1News and The Post.
