The Annual Report sets out the results the New Zealand Fire Service Commission (Commission) has achieved against its annual plan (Statement of Intent). The annual report describes some of the key events that have occurred during each year, sets out the key results and the financial performance of the Commission against its intended performance.

The Commission's annual report is formally tabled in Parliament each year and is analysed by select committees to judge whether the Commission has delivered value to New Zealand communities.

Featured below is the table of contents and a short overview from the report. If you would like to read the report click on the download pdf link in the blue box to your right.

Table of Contents

Transmittal Letter from the Chairperson	3
Commission Overview	6
Chief Executive Overview	10
Statement of Responsibility	17
Report of the Auditor-General	18
Statement of Objectives and Service Performance	20
Statement of Accounting Policies	56
Statement Specifying Financial Performance	60
Statement of Financial Performance	61
Statement of Movements in Equity	61
Statement of Financial Position	62
Statement of Cashflows	63
Statement of Commitments	64
Statement of Contingent Liabilities	64
Notes to the Financial Statements	65
Map of Fire Regions	77

Commission Overview

Commission Membership

During the course of the year Dame Margaret Bazley and Terry Scott were reappointed for three year terms of office. John Hercus was appointed to replace Neville Young who did not seek reappointment on the expiry of his term. Since the close of the year under review Dr Piers Reid has been reappointed for a second term. Membership of the Commission currently comprises:

Dame Margaret Bazley, DNZM, Chairperson
Mr Terry Scott, Deputy Chairperson
Dr Piers Reid, member
Mr John Hercus, member
Ms Angela Foulkes, member

Statutory Functions of the Commission

In addition to its role as the Crown’s principal manager of fire risk in New Zealand, the Commission has four main statutory functions:

• Co-ordination of fire safety throughout New Zealand as established by sections 20 and 21 of the Fire Service Act 1975 and section 12 (2) of the Building Act 1991.
• Governance of the New Zealand Fire Service as required by sections 14 of the Fire Service Act 1975.
• Exercise of the functions of the National Rural Fire Authority as set out in sections 14A of the Fire Service Act 1975 and section 18(2) of the Forest and Rural Fires Act 1977.
• Receipt and audit of the proceeds of the Fire Service levy as established by sections 47B and 48 to 53A of the Fire Service Act 1975.
  

Co-ordination of Fire Safety

The Commission discharged its responsibilities to co-ordinate and promote fire safety throughout New Zealand in a variety of ways. It:

• Monitored the level of fire safety awareness in the community through regular surveys
• Developed the annual fire safety promotion plan based on the survey data and analysis
• Met with the Building Industry Authority in formal session
• Made submissions on the fire safety provisions of the proposed new building legislation
• Sought determinations from the Building Industry Authority on buildings the Commission considered did not comply with the fire safety provisions of the Building Code
• Prepared in partnership with the Historic Places Trust a strategy for the protection of historic and heritage buildings
• Prepared in partnership with iwi and the Historic Places Trust, a video and written material to encourage the fire protection of wharenui and historic buildings constructed from traditional materials
• Promoted fire safe codes of practice for special occupancies such as:
• Back country huts
• Homestay and backpacker accommodation
• Schools and other educational facilities
• Hospitals and rest homes
• Housing New Zealand houses and apartments.
• Awarded a further $500,000 of fire safety-related research contracts on topics including:
• The role of alcohol in serious unintentional fire incidents
• Fire Safety and the Building Act; a cost benefit analysis
• Daily weather sequences and seasonal forecasting of severe fire seasons
• Fire danger climatology analyses and tools
• Assessing and selecting high performing Fire Service recruits of the future
• Improving the fire performance of polystyrene insulated panels in New Zealand
• Mapping and interpretation of fire weather information
• Hosted a seminar in Auckland to disseminate the results of research contracts let in previous years
• Hosted evening functions for fire safety stakeholders and partners in Whangarei, North Shore City, Rotorua, Greymouth, and New Plymouth
• Funded the Len Doughty Fellowship for research into fire prevention best practice in Sweden and the United Kingdom.
  

Governance of the New Zealand Fire Service

The Commission discharges its principal governance responsibilities through:

• Appointment of the Chief Executive.
  Mike Hall was appointed to the position of Chief Executive of the New Zealand Fire Service in May 2001 for a term of five years.
  
  
• The Performance Agreement.
  The terms and conditions of the employment agreement with Mike Hall include specific performance expectations.
  These expectations include:
• Delivery of the outputs set out in the statement of intent.
• Management of Fire Service expenditure within the approved Estimates of Expenditure. The Estimates of Expenditure were approved by the Minister in July 2002.
The Commission assessed the Chief Executive’s performance against these expectations in May 2003.

• The Instrument of Delegation.
  This document delegates to the Chief Executive certain of the Commission’s statutory powers subject to relevant policy direction. The delegation dated 20 June 2001 remained in force during the year under review
  
  
• The Audit Committee.
  This committee advises the Commission on risk management, policy compliance, the annual audit programme and statutory reporting. Members of the Audit Committee comprised Neville Young (Chair), Piers Reid, Angela Foulkes and Dame Margaret Bazley ex officio. Following the retirement of Neville Young from the Commission in November 2002 the Commission resolved to appoint an independent chairperson and in March 2003 appointed Mr Alan Isaac, National Chairman KPMG, to the role.

National Rural Fire Authority

Responsibility for the delivery of rural fire prevention suppression and extinction services rests with Rural Fire Authorities — mostly territorial authorities, but also the Department of Conservation, the New Zealand Defence Force, private forest plantation owners and other special purpose entities. The Commission, acting as the National Rural Fire Authority, is responsible for rural fire policy at a national level. This includes establishing national standards and codes of practice, auditing compliance with those standards, co-ordinating rural fire authorities and reimbursing the costs incurred by rural fire authorities in fighting rural fires. Highlights of the year under review included:

• Oregon, USA Wildfires.
  Immediately following completion of formal standing arrangements between the United States and New Zealand for mutual assistance in fighting wildfires nine New Zealand rural fire managers were deployed to the state of Oregon in July 2002 as part of a 50 strong Australasian contingent.
• Victoria, Australia Wildfires.
  Sixty-three New Zealand rural fire managers and firefighters were deployed in three tranches to the state of Victoria in January and February 2003 under long standing mutual assistance arrangements.
• National Incident Management Teams.
  The capability of the three national incident management teams was further enhanced with regular workshops and field exercises.
• Fire Protection Agreements.
  The Commission approved nine new fire protection agreements with territorial authorities. These commit the Fire Service to provide specified first response resources in the event of vegetation wild fire while the rural fire authority marshalls its firefighting resources.
• Rural Fire Mediators Panel.
  The Commission recommended to the Minister the names of six people suitably qualified to be appointed to the Rural Fire Mediators Panel.
• First Response Appliances.
  The first four new rural fire appliances funded through the increased grant assistance scheme were delivered to rural fire authorities during the year.
• Grant Assistance Scheme Eligibility.
  The Commission agreed in the Statement of Intent to review the long standing rules around eligibility for grants under the grant assistance scheme. The National Rural Fire Officer is expected to report on the outcome of a consultation with stakeholders on this matter during 2003/04.