4. Question No. 4—Internal AffairsCLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First) to the Minister of Internal AffairsQuestion No. 4—Internal Affairs4 CLAYTON MITCHELL (NZ First) to the Minister of Internal Affairs: What recent reports has she received regarding Fire and Emergency New Zealand's response to the Nelson Tasman fires?Hon TRACEY MARTIN (Minister of Internal Affairs): I received a briefing yesterday evening outlining the state of the emergency. The fire perimeter is approximately 35.8 kilometres and with favourable weather conditions yesterday significant progress has been made towards containing the fire. I was heartened to see that the safety health and well-being of everyone involved is of paramount consideration. I've been advised that while the hours are long and conditions are challenging morale is high due to the support and well-wishers from around across the country. As Minister I am proud of the outstanding work being done by firefighters who are working long hours in difficult hazardous conditions to protect life property and livestock.Clayton Mitchell: What information has she received regarding the support the New Zealand Defence Force has provided to Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) in response to the Nelson-Tasman fires?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: One hundred and fifty-three New Zealand Defence Force personnel have been deployed including 14 firefighters embedded with Fire and Emergency New Zealand four New Zealand Defence Force fire appliances 111 defence force personnel working on the cordons and 20 personnel participating in the welfare of those on the front line by providing catering services. Other tasks since 6 February have included supporting evacuations vehicle escorts overnight patrols and support to the police.Clayton Mitchell: What advice has she received regarding the support the New Zealand Police has provided to FENZ in response to the Nelson-Tasman fires?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: I have seen official reports and media reports including a comment from the Tasman District councillor Dean McNamara who says the presence of police and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) patrols made it a lot easier to leave his home in Wakefield when he got the instructions to evacuate. Thanks to significant Government investment in police we have been able to ensure a strong presence of personnel alongside fire and emergency teams. More than 100 dedicated police personnel were deployed as part of the response. This includes 37 brand-new recruits who completed their final exams at the Royal New Zealand Police College last week took their oaths as constables and travelled immediately to Nelson with thanks to transport assistance from the NZDF Hercules and KiwiRail's Interislander ferry. The Wakefield police station is able to be kept open 24 hours a day during the state of emergency. Police are assisting through a number of ways. Their function is to keep the community safe such as assisting with evacuations and maintaining the cordons; to prevent crime such as looting and other property crime or the unauthorised use of drones; and to investigate crimes such as two suspected arsons. Their visibility in the community is also a wonderful signal for the locals who just want to get their lives back to normal.Hon Dr Nick Smith: Will she consider providing funding to ensure volunteer firefighters or their employers are not financially disadvantaged for their tremendous effort over the past week given that this is the largest fire New Zealand has had in 60 years and that the length of commitment by those volunteer firefighters has gone beyond the normal duties we would expect of those volunteers?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: Can I thank the member for his question and for making sure that we recognise the businesses who allow the volunteers to go out and do this very important work. I have a meeting at 4 o'clock today with Fire and Emergency New Zealand. This is a topic that I will be discussing with them.Clayton Mitchell: How many volunteer firefighters have actually been involved in the Tasman fires?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: There are up to 200 firefighters working at any one time and the majority of these are volunteers. As the honourable member from the Opposition side has already pointed out each one of those volunteers is taking time out of their own lives out of workplaces out of businesses that they own and we need to acknowledge that this is a vital service they do for their community and for their country—and just take the time to acknowledge those businesses that allow them to participate. Hon Dr Nick Smith: Does she agree that the merged rural and urban fire service now Fire and Emergency New Zealand has resulted in a far better response to these Nelson fires than what occurred with the Port Hills fire in Christchurch; and if so has she changed the view where she vigorously opposed the merger and said in Opposition that we'd be better to have separate rural and urban fire services?Hon TRACEY MARTIN: First of all to the first part of the question I do. I think the work done by the Hon Peter Dunne to actually bring together the fire and emergency services to recognise that we needed a better response after the Port Hills fire—and considering that they are only part-way through their amalgamation into integration and this is been the biggest test that they have had to face since they became FENZ I agree. This is a much better response. With regard to the second part of the question I'm actually going to have to go back and check the Hansard because I'm not confident in the member's basis of the question.