Bishop forced to soften FENZ criticism after van Velden rebuke

Economic Development Minister Chris Bishop softened his call that Fire and Emergency New Zealand was "incompetent" after Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden reminded him FENZ is an operationally independent Crown entity. Bishop told RNZ he was frustrated the Hutt City fire station closed in 2021 with no replacement five years on. Van Velden said FENZ forecasts spending $700 million on property over 10 years.