Fire and Emergency chief Kerry Gregory resigns after minister says she has no confidence in him
Fire and Emergency New Zealand chief executive Kerry Gregory has resigned today.
Fire and Emergency board chairman Raveen Jaduram said Gregory had advised the board of his resignation, which was effective immediately.
“Mr Gregory says that, in the light of the Minister of Internal Affairs’ recent public statement that she did not have confidence in him, it has become untenable for him to remain in his role,” Jaduram said.
Jaduram said the board acknowledged and thanked Gregory for his 36 years of service to Fire and Emergency, including a lengthy period as an operational firefighter.
In an email to staff, Gregory said his resignation was “one of the hardest decisions of my life”.
“For seven years I have lived away from home and my family in order to serve in this role,” he wrote.
“Over the past month I have had the opportunity to pause, spend time with those closest to me, and reflect on what matters most in life. That reflection has brought clarity.”
“I also believe leadership is about knowing when it is time to pass the baton.”
Darry Purdy will continue as acting chief executive and Megan Stiffler will remain national commander.
A New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union spokesperson said Gregory’s resignation announcement should be the “catalyst for massive and sweeping change” at the organisation.
Gregory’s resignation follows recent public comments by Minister of Internal Affairs Brooke van Velden, who said she did not have confidence in him.
The confidence breakdown between Gregory and van Velden reached a head on September 17, when she said Gregory had withheld information about a “seriously significant incident” from her for a full year, despite external advice that she should be told.
The minister said she no longer had confidence in him or in the accuracy of information coming from Fire and Emergency.
Van Velden did not disclose the allegation’s details because Fire and Emergency had referred the matter to the Serious Fraud Office.
A Fire and Emergency spokeswoman said the matter referred to was “historical”, from before 2021, and said it “relates to Fire and Emergency’s administration of the levy scheme”.
The spokeswoman said the agency itself made the referral and that Gregory had not been referred to the SFO.
Van Velden also cited wider problems involving fleet, collective bargaining, payroll and the HR information system.
Fire and Emergency has had a long-running bargaining dispute with the union.
Professional firefighters began industrial action in August 2022 and have completed 71 strikes since.