Fire and Emergency chief executive Kerry Gregory resigns

Kerry Gregory has resigned as chief executive of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), the agency that runs the country's fire and emergency services. The resignation took effect immediately. Board chair Raveen Jaduram confirmed the departure on 23 October 2026.

The Minister of Internal Affairs, Brooke van Velden, said she had no confidence in Mr Gregory. She first publicly withdrew that confidence on 17 September, when she described his conduct as a serious breach of trust. She accused him of withholding significant information from her over a 12-month period before 2021.

The minister said Mr Gregory had breached the no surprises rule, which governs how agencies keep their minister informed. She then wrote to the FENZ board and required it to investigate.

The serious matter about which Mr Gregory allegedly withheld information was referred to the Serious Fraud Office, the agency that investigates serious financial crime. The office had an assessment under way related to the FENZ issues.

Jaduram said the issues around Mr Gregory's resignation date back to 2011 and concern an insurance levy that funds FENZ's revenue. He said he became board chair on 30 June. He said the current board learned the details only to the extent the minister was told around June this year.

Mr Gregory had been on extended leave for more than a month before he resigned. After the board resumed discussions with him on his return from leave, it took him just short of two and a half weeks to decide to resign. The board agreed to the resignation.

Wattie Watson, secretary of the New Zealand Professional Firefighters Union, said FENZ should halt changes pushed by Mr Gregory, including the restructure.