First and foremost you'll need:

To care about communities.
Courage.
Commitment.
Compassion.
To be a team player.
A sense of humour.
Selflessness.
Energy.
To want to help.

Baseline requirements

Fire and Emergency New Zealand has several statutory powers, as well as a position of trust and integrity in public perception. We have a baseline of entry requirements that you must meet to become a Career Firefighter:

• Be a New Zealand/Australian citizen or have New Zealand permanent residency .(external link)
• Be 18 years of age to apply. There’s no maximum age.
• Pass our police checks.
• Pass our medical checks.
• Familiarise yourself with all the steps of the Recruitment Process.

Make sure there are no surprises by requesting a copy of your own police check before commencing the application process. The Ministry of Justice website has information on getting a copy of your criminal record (external link). 

The below information is for applicants who want to join Fire and Emergency but have a criminal conviction. It does not cover all situations and should be used as a guide only. Each situation will be assessed on merit.

Convictions for arson or sexual offences

You will not be able to join Fire and Emergency if you have:

• been convicted of arson or fire-lighting offences.
• been convicted of any sexual offence.

Convictions in the last seven years

You will not be able to join Fire and Emergency if you have been convicted of any of the following in the last seven years:

• Theft, fraud, perjury or other dishonesty offences.
• Offences punishable by 2 or more-year term in prison.

Convictions in the last five years

If you have one conviction, for any crime other than those listed above, and the sentence was not imprisonment, the conviction is unlikely to prevent you joining Fire and Emergency.

If you have received one conviction in the last five years, but were given a prison sentence, it is unlikely that you will be able to join Fire and Emergency.

If you have received more than one conviction in the last five years (regardless of the sentence) you are unlikely to be able to join Fire and Emergency.

Driving related offences

Parking and speeding offences will not normally affect your application. Unpaid fines will affect your application.

Criminal Records (Clean Slate) Act 2004

Refer to www.Justice.Govt.NZ/criminal-records/clean-slate (external link) to see if you meet the ‘Clean Slate’ criteria.

During the recruitment process you will be assessed against medical standards that are in line with the requirements of operational firefighting. There are some medical conditions that could place you, your crew, or the public at risk.

Occupational Medical Fitness Requirements

All applicants will be required to complete a comprehensive Fire and Emergency New Career Recruits medical examination with their regular General Practitioner as part of the recruitment process.

There are several medical conditions that are incompatible with firefighting, these conditions are summarised below. If you have any of these conditions, you will most likely be unsuitable for firefighting.

Decisions on medical suitability are made by Fire and Emergency, after review of the specific individual details by an Occupational Health Specialist. Fire and Emergency cannot make a decision on your occupational medical fitness for a firefighting role, without a full medical assessment.

This is not an exhaustive list and each medical assessment will be considered on its own merit.

• Insulin treated dependent diabetes.
• Inadequate unaided hearing (hearing aids are not compatible in heat suppression events).
• Poor vision - distance visual acuity needs to meet 6/12 unaided, or with contact lenses. Glasses cannot be worn.
• Epilepsy, or any history of seizures or unexplained fainting or episodes. This includes medicated epilepsy.
• Stroke or TIA history.
• Conditions that could affect balance.
• Cardiac conditions including heart attacks, valve disorders.
• Mobility issues, joint replacements serious, arthritic conditions.
• Respiratory conditions affecting lung function; poorly controlled asthma, COPD, poor lung function.
• Psychological conditions including psychotic episodes, severe or repeated depressive episodes and other serious conditions.
• Medications that affect functionality in safety critical role.

If you have any concerns about a medical condition please contact one of our recruitment team at screening@fireandemergency.nz.

Due to the large number of applicants from within New Zealand, we do not sponsor overseas applicants.

Australian citizens can work freely in New Zealand. Please refer to the New Zealand Immigration Service (external link) for further information.