About Us
About Us

We are an organisation run by firefighters to look after firefighters and their families

About us

We are an organisation run by firefighters to look after firefighters and their families.

For over 35 years, the Firefighters Welfare Society has provided assistance and support to members and their families when needed.

Our motto is “Firefighters helping firefighters and their families”, awhi atu awhi mai ō rātou whānau.

In the mid-1980s, it was firefighters themselves who recognised an opportunity to provide more support for firefighters and decided to do something about it. As a practical step to support their fellow firefighters going through tough times, they placed a biscuit tin at the centre of their station table and each put some money in it. The idea spread to more firefighters and more stations and the idea behind the NZ Firefighters Welfare Society was born.

While times have changed over the years, the ethos has remained the same: Firefighters helping firefighters and their families. The Society is still run by firefighters for firefighters.

Today there is a huge amount of support and assistance available to members for just a small financial contribution a week. This includes support for healthcare needs, access to scenic holiday/convalescent homes, and generous discounts from major NZ retailers. There was also a need to develop a healthcare plan to look after our firefighters and their families so the mutual fund, Healthcare99 was born.

Membership is open to all First Responders and associated Administration Staff. Join us today.

By being members, firefighters and their families benefit and their membership contribution supports their colleagues who are members, in their times of need.

The Society’s logo has a strong and proud history and was first developed in 1987. We are excited to introduce a new logo design in 2022, and believe this is a significant step in modernising the image of the Society, and broadening its appeal to encompass an evolving membership base and demographic.

NZ Firefighters Welfare Society logo

NZ Firefighters Welfare Society Strategy

Regional Representatives

Fire and Emergency Statement of Co-operation

Bill Swan, Chair of the NZ Firefighters Welfare Society and Rhys Jones, Chief Executive of Fire and Emergency NZ re-sign a joint Statement of Co-operation in October 2021.

The New Zealand Firefighters Welfare Society and Fire and Emergency New Zealand are proud to re-sign our Statement of Co-operation, as a show of our partnership.

statement of cooperation

The Statement of Co-operation acknowledges the support the New Zealand Firefighters Welfare Society offers our members and the wider Fire and Emergency New Zealand community. Thank you to Fire and Emergency New Zealand for acknowledging the support offered by our organisation.

Read the Statement of Cooperation here.