Speech to Forest and Rural Fires Association Annual Conference
Thank you for inviting me to open your annual conference. It's great to be here in the North.
Can I congratulate the FRFANZ committee for putting together an interesting conference programme. Welcome to the two international speakers, Johann Heine from South Africa, and Brendan Smyth from Australia.
I understand Brendan is a politician as well as a volunteer firefighter. He is the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the ACT Legislative Assembly in Canberra - welcome to New Zealand.
Today I'd like to touch on the most recent fire season, and outline some initiatives that are underway to support you in your valuable work.
Northland Fires
One of the best things about this part of the country is the great weather here. But while sunshine and low rain is great when you're on holiday, it's not so good for fire safety.
Northland has had a difficult fire season with drought conditions from November until well into autumn. I'm told this was the driest period in living memory.
As a result we had a large number of serious wildfires. In particular the Kaimaumau fire and the Kerikeri airport fire were very costly and time consuming.
I know from experience on my own farm that peat fires are very hard to extinguish once they get going, so I can sympathise with the efforts taken to put out the fire at Kaimaumau especially.
I understand that this fire got into the peat layer and burned for over a month.
I see that you have a session on this fire later today. I'm sure this will be a good chance to share some of the lessons learnt from this experience.
In the South Island we had the Mount Allen forest fire in February, just outside of Dunedin. This fire burnt around 800 hectares of forest land and was a serious loss for the owner.
I saw the aftermath a month later, and I could clearly see the huge effort put in by firefighters. Containing this fire took several weeks.
I understand that both these fires cost over a million dollars each to deal with, and are the most expensive in New Zealand's recent history.
There is good progress being made though. The overall ten year rolling average of area burnt has dropped from 6,476 hectares to 5,597 hectares.
Since my appointment as Minister of Internal Affairs just over a year ago I've been hugely impressed at the dedication and professionalism of forest and rural and forest fire fighters.
It is a testimony to your work that the last fire season wasn't worse, because it easily could have been.
All reports are that the season was very well managed and I would like to congratulate everyone involved. Special thanks go to the volunteers who worked long and hard to protect their communities.
Thanks also to all the Rural Fire Authorities and their employees and contractors who get diverted from other important jobs to deal with these incidents.
International Cooperation
Supporting volunteers is an important part of the work your organisation does. Another crucial role is pursuing international ties through conferences and study tours.
There are regular visits to Australia, and earlier this year I was pleased to provide some funding for a tour of Tasmania.
These international relationships are very beneficial for the forest and rural sector. Even when the fire climates are vastly different, the processes are often similar.
In August last year six New Zealand firefighters went to Canada to help fight wildfires in British Columbia. It's great that New Zealand is able to help our neighbours and friends in times of need.
These tours and deployments provide a real chance to learn and build useful international ties.
NRFA National Stakeholders Meeting
Cooperation is also happening at a national level. The National Rural Fire Authority held their annual stakeholders forum in Wellington two weeks ago, which was an important way for your sector to have an input into the work of the Authority.
An example of this is the Authority's Strategic Plan, which was unveiled at this year's meeting. This plan will guide the work of the Authority over the next four years, and is based on the ideas generated from the last two forums.
ERFD Strategy
A key component of that strategy is Enlarged Rural Fire Districts Strategy.
This is obviously a key issue for your sector, as confirmed by the theme of your conference: "Is Bigger Better?"
I think there are real benefits to be had with greater economies of scale, pooled resources and taking a regional approach to fire management.
The plan involves having a full-time Principal Rural Fire Officer.
Overall I believe this will reduce duplication of effort and strengthen the sector.
Importantly, many of the strongest advocates for enlarged districts are people already operating in this new model. They see the benefits every day.
It should be noted that in most areas, a large amount of cooperation already goes on between Fire Authorities. The strategy highlights this, but also focuses on cooperation and integration at the governance level.
The basic principle of forest and rural fire management in New Zealand is that those closest to the land should manage the fire risk.
The Board structure of an Enlarged Rural Fire District can give fair representation to major stakeholders and landowners within the region. This can improve the ownership of fire issues by landowners, and encourage more groups to become actively engaged and involved.
I've been supporting this strategy for the past year and I'm pleased with the progress so far. The National Rural Fire Authority has led a huge amount of consultation and discussion across the country. Every region has now had some contact about the strategy.
The model remains voluntary and this gives you the chance to set the direction for the future. This is an opportunity for the sector to take the lead, and many of you have.
For example, in the Far North, a project manager has been appointed to assess amalgamation and analyse what it would mean for stakeholders and the community.
Stakeholders in the Central North Island, Otago and Taranaki have also appointed independent project managers to look at their business.
I think it can be helpful for an independent person to analyse the operations, governance and management processes, and of course the costs, before a decision is made on amalgamation.
I would encourage other areas to look at doing this.
Future changes in the sector
I encourage everyone here to look seriously at the benefits and advantages offered by this strategy. I know that it often presents a number of challenges in the short term, but the long term benefits will have a real impact on the forest and rural fire sector.
Changes in forest ownership, land use, climate, new technology, and an aging population are just some of the challenges facing your sector.
We need to look at ways that we can make the sector as strong as possible to face these, and other, challenges of the future.
Grant Assistance Scheme
I'd like to finish on a bit of good news.
The National Rural Fire Authority offers grants to subsidise new firefighting equipment and protective clothing for volunteer rural fire forces. I'm pleased that a funding increase of $300,000 has been made this year, with the total budget reaching $2 million.
I'm know this money does make a difference, and its pleasing to see more of the 4x4 yellow fire tankers in small rural communities.
Finally, I wish you all the best for the conference. I am sure that that the presentations, the discussion and networking will be interesting.
It's a great chance to strengthen relationships and share ideas with your colleagues from around the country and around the world.
Thank you.