We are immensely proud to back our team members who volunteer for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) at fire brigades throughout the country. These dedicated individuals play a vital role in supporting rural communities, always ready to respond to callouts and providing crucial assistance during emergencies. 

PGG Wrightson team members volunteer at approximately 20 fire brigades across New Zealand, offering indispensable assistance to rural communities. Their efforts help keep our team members, families, and clients safe, and we are incredibly proud of their commitment and bravery. 

One of these team members is Aimee-Gene Hughes-Faiao, Customer Service Representative who is a volunteer with the Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade. She has been involved with FENZ for four years, starting at the Greerton Volunteer Fire Brigade in Tauranga.  

Aimee-Gene says, “Alongside loving the ‘Big Red Fire Truck’, volunteering for Fire and Emergency is a great way to learn essential life skills like first aid, and I love helping the community in a time of need.”  

It was also an awesome way for Aimee-Gene to ease into a new town and meet people when she moved from Tauranga to Cromwell. Although she acknowledges challenges like balancing when she is available to respond and dealing with traffic during callouts, she has felt support from her team at the Cromwell Fruitfed store. They maintain clear communication, so everyone is aware of what is going on when there is a call out that affects her work hours.  

“Noone is in the dark—we use group messaging to update the team whether that is responding to a call out or heading back to the store. The team get a bit of excitement when the pager goes off, there are shouts of encouragement for me to get up and go!” 

Aimee-Gene attended a fire call out with Cromwell Volunteer Fire Brigade to the  Mason Vineyard at Parkburn.

Ben Chambers, a Technical Field Representative in Darfield volunteers at the Lincoln Volunteer Fire Brigade, also coming up to four years with FENZ. He loves being able to help people in their time of need and working together with the other people on the truck to achieve the best possible outcomes for patients or tasks at hand. The camaraderie is also a special part of being a volunteer firefighter. 

“We have 35 members who are all from different walks of life that all get on like a house on fire, excuse the pun. We deal with some challenging and confronting things sometimes, but this only makes the bond between everyone stronger,” Says Ben. 

He adds, “It is the most rewarding and fulfilling job that I have ever done, there is no better feeling when the adrenaline is flowing, and you're fighting fire be that a house fire or fast-moving vegetation fire. There is a humbling sensation knowing that you and your crew have helped make a difference in the lives of people you may not even know.” 

Ben Chambers and Lincoln Volunteer Fire Brigade crew attending a call out to a property.

Nearly 12,000 volunteers are involved in FENZ nationwide, responding to fires, transport accidents, and other emergencies nationwide. We proudly stand with FENZ volunteers, recognising their efforts and the essential role they play in keeping our communities safe. Their courage inspires us all, and we are honoured to support our team members who volunteer for local fire brigades to carry out their vital work.

Learn more about Fire and Emergency volunteers here.