Gregory departs after minister withdraws confidence
Kerry Gregory has resigned with immediate effect as chief executive of Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Board chairman Raveen Jaduram said Gregory concluded that he could not continue once Internal Affairs Minister Brooke van Velden had publicly said she lacked confidence in his leadership. Gregory had been away from the role on extended leave, 1News NZ reported.
Van Velden had questioned whether the information reaching her was accurate. Her comments came amid criticism from a parliamentary committee, which said Fire and Emergency had repeatedly supplied incorrect responses to its questions. The committee described a pattern in which the organisation appeared more concerned with portraying its performance positively than with giving direct answers, while also saying it did not think officials were intentionally withholding the truth.
Jaduram recognised Gregory’s 36 years with the service, including his work as an operational firefighter. Darry Purdy continues as acting chief executive and Megan Stiffler as national commander.
Davies resigns in separate integrity matter
Separately, Air Marshal Tony Davies resigned as chief of the New Zealand Defence Force on Friday. News4JAX reported that Davies acknowledged a relationship dating from a period when he led a unit and said he had failed to reveal it when given the chance. He did not disclose when the relationship occurred or provide further details about it.
Davies characterised his past conduct as a lapse in judgment inconsistent with Defence Force standards. Defence Minister Paul Goldsmith described the issue as one of integrity and accepted that Davies could not remain in office. The matter has been sent to the independent inspector-general responsible for examining military conduct. The Defence Force said vice chief Rear Admiral Mat Williams was taking over leadership duties.