Fire and Emergency Bay of Plenty district manager Jeff Maunder says the unavailability of the Mount Maunganui fire trucks today is due to "firefighters' leave requirements", on top of some "temporary vancancies" across the district. 

In September, the two trucks at the station were taken offline for two days due to the same issue.

"This is an ongoing issue and there is no quick fix. We have been introducing additional staff to address the immediate shortfalls until a longer-term solution is introduced. However, there were not enough staff available to staff the trucks today.

"The people of Mount Maunganui can be confident that Fire and Emergency crews will continue to respond to emergencies in their community."

Mount Maunganui Fire Station closed on Friday. Photo: NZPFU.

"Fire and Emergency New Zealand always maintains a 24/7 response capability for our communities.

"The system is designed so that neighbouring brigades provide cover for each other in the event of simultaneous incidents. This will also occur when our firefighters are unavailable for any reason. While the current situation is not ideal, it is a routine procedure for us as an emergency response service.

"Fire and Emergency is working collaboratively with the NZ Professional Firefighters’ Union to address staffing ratios across the country."