Paekākāriki has had a volunteer fire brigade for 75 years and has a great reputation. The team is part of Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ). Aotearoa’s model of a service with volunteer and career firefighters throughout the country was formed in 2017 from the combination of the Fire Service and the Rural Fire Service. It is unique in the world, making it bigger even than the London Fire Service or the New York Fire Department.