Fire and Emergency NZ levy breach

The story so far

Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden said she had lost confidence in Fire and Emergency NZ chief executive Kerry Gregory, alleging he withheld information about a significant incident for a year, which she called a breach of trust.^{17 Sep} The matter was referred to the Serious Fraud Office.^{17 Sep} The minister also said the organisation was breaching its own laws over levy collections, and she was frustrated she was not told while it spent nearly $500,000 investigating.^{18 Sep} Firefighters delivered a petition with 52,000 signatures to Parliament, calling for an investigation into how the organisation manages its annual funding of over $800m.^{24 Sep} The union sought immediate leadership changes following reports of mismanagement and misleading Parliament.^{24 Sep}

Latest

By late October Gregory was still on extended leave, with the board continuing discussions with him and Darryl Purdy serving as acting chief executive.^{23 Oct} Gregory then resigned as chief executive, effective immediately.^{23 Oct}

Key moments

1. 17 SepMinister says she has lost confidence in the chief executive; matter referred to Serious Fraud Office.
2. 18 SepMinister says the organisation breached its own laws over levy collections.
3. 24 SepFirefighters deliver a 52,000-signature petition seeking an inquiry into funding.
4. 23 OctChief executive remains on extended leave; Darryl Purdy is acting chief executive.
5. 23 OctKerry Gregory resigns as chief executive, effective immediately.

Written from the stories below; each sentence links to its sources.