Fire and Emergency New Zealand has announced an independent investigation into the events that resulted in the fatalities of two firefighters, and the injury of two others, while responding to a flooding event at Muriwai, Auckland during Cyclone Gabrielle on the night of 13 February 2023.

Chief Executive Kerry Gregory says the enormity of the event is such that an independent enquiry is warranted.

"We are committed to looking for opportunities for continuous improvement and are looking to minimise the risk of such catastrophic harm being repeated in the future," he says.

The investigation is being conducted independently by Paul McGill who is the Lead Investigator and Andy Evans a Specialist ICAM (Incident Cause Analysis Method) Health and Safety Investigator.

Paul McGill was with the New Zealand Fire Service and Fire and Emergency New Zealand for nearly 40 years, serving as frontline firefighter, then a range of senior roles, including Deputy National Commander, National Commander Urban, and Acting Chief Executive.

Andy Evans is a skilled and experienced independent Health and Safety Investigator who has conducted many ICAM investigations into a wide range of incidents, including in farming, power distribution, logistics, education, construction, and transport.

Kerry Gregory says Fire and Emergency is a close whānau and this has been an awful reminder of the risks our firefighters can be exposed to everyday

"We will continue to work closely with those impacted," he says.

The investigators will now finalise the details of the investigation process.

A separate operational review of the entirety of Fire and Emergency’s response to both the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle and the prior severe weather event will also be conducted. This is in addition to our contribution to the Auckland Mayor’s enquiry into the Auckland flooding event.

Fire and Emergency will make no further comment at this stage.

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