Internal report says firefighter trainers use 'beasting'; FENZ disputes it

A 2025 internal Fire and Emergency New Zealand report says trainers use "beasting", an old military-style approach of belittling recruits who fail to meet standards. FENZ says beasting is not part of its training and does not condone it. Joe Stanley, national president of the Professional Firefighters Union, said: "That's wrong. I've never seen any beasting."