On 17 May 2024, Property Council submitted to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) on the FENZ Levy 2026-2029 consultation.
Why this matters to our members
Property Council advocates for regulatory and tax settings that are both fit for purpose and fundamentally equitable. FENZ provides a crucial public service to the property sector and wider New Zealand. It is critical that FENZ is funded with an equitable, fit-for-purpose funding regime. The current approach is inequitable and contrary to the legislative funding principles established in the Fire and Emergency Act 2017. As such, and given the significant burden of FENZ levies on the property sector, this topic is of key importance to our members.
Our view
Our submission outlined that we are deeply concerned that the current approach to FENZ funding is inequitable, inefficient, and unsustainable long-term. Improving equity within the FENZ funding regime will require changing the distribution of the levy burden both across and within contributor groups (residential and personal property, non-residential property, and motor vehicles), as well as introducing supplementary funding.