Report published on the Consultation on the Fire and Emergency Levy for 2026-2029

Between 8 April and 17 May 2024, we consulted on the levy arrangements affecting eligible insurance policy holders for the period between 1 July 2026 and 30 June 2029.

We took a digital first approach to focus on enabling wide participation. We also sought feedback from key industries. This was a new, enduring and repeatable approach and will allow us to reach a wide audience. This is the first time we have approached consultation in this way.

The consultation had strong engagement from across around the country and received the largest number of submissions of any consultation we have run.

The Public Consultation Outcome report(external link) is now available on our website. It outlines the feedback we received, who we received it from, what we did to consult and the questions we asked.

Overall, we received 841 submissions, including 41 submissions from organisations, 34 of which were complex and detailed.

Submissions shared useful feedback, including information that had not previously been shared with us. This information was valuable when developing options, which helps us demonstrate that participation in the consultation had an impact on the final outcomes.

Most people value Fire and Emergency and think we are doing the right kinds of things. People thought our most important roles were around responding to fires and to motor vehicle crashes, people also thought that responding to severe weather events was an important part of our work.

We received a lot of feedback about the levy system. Many respondents felt the levy system as a whole was not equitable and that people with insurance would be cross subsidising the uninsured. While this is outside of what we were consulting on, we passed this feedback on as part of the consultation process.

For more detail on what people said in the consultation, you can read our consultation report(external link) on the website.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the levy consultation and who encouraged friends, family and whānau to participate. It is important that we hear from people who pay the levy or who access our services and we appreciate the time taken to contribute.

Download our Public Consultation Outcome report(external link) on the website.