Fire and Emergency chief Kerry Gregory resigns after minister says she has no confidence in him
Kerry Gregory, the chief executive of Fire and Emergency New Zealand, has resigned after the Minister of Internal Affairs publicly stated she lacked confidence in his leadership. The resignation follows allegations that Gregory withheld information regarding a significant incident for over a year.
Why it matters
The resignation highlights a breakdown in accountability between government ministers and the leadership of public emergency services.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand chief executive Kerry Gregory says resigning is “one of the hardest decisions of my life”. Photo / George Heard
Fire and Emergency New Zealand chief executive Kerry Gregory has resigned today.
Fire and Emergency board chairman Raveen Jaduram said Gregory had advised the board of his resignation, which was effective immediately.
“Mr Gregory says that, in the light of the Minister of Internal Affairs’ recent public statement that she did not have confidence in him, it has become untenable for him to remain in his role,” Jaduram said.
Jaduram said the board acknowledged and thanked Gregory for his 36 years of service to Fire and Emergency, including a lengthy period as an operational firefighter.
In an email to staff, Gregory said his resignation was “one of the hardest decisions of my life”.
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