The early days
For most of its history, New Zealand’s fire services were funded and managed locally. There was little central coordination, resulting in significant variation between local fire services.
The Ballantynes’ Fire of 1947, where 41 people lost their lives, was a watershed moment in the history of fire services in New Zealand. It led to the passing of the first fire safety legislation.
A further reform in 1975 amalgamated local authority Fire Boards into a national New Zealand Fire Service. However, Rural Fire Authorities were retained as separate organisations, coordinated by the National Rural Fire Authority.
For over 40 years, there were no further significant changes to fire service legislation. This was despite significant changes in New Zealand’s firefighting environment. More recently, however, there has been a growing impetus for legislative change.
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