Honouring service.
Connecting generations.
From our first gathering in Kaiapoi to a community of more than 300 members, our story is one of service, recognition and lasting fellowship.
Built on service.
United by friendship.
The Canterbury Fire Brigades Gold Star Association brings together serving and retired fire service personnel who have received the United Fire Brigades’ Association 25-year Gold Star or the Forest and Rural Fire Association of New Zealand (FRFANZ) 25-year medal.
With more than 300 members, the association connects people whose commitment to protecting Canterbury communities spans generations, brigades and different branches of the fire service.
Our purpose is not only to recognise years of dedicated service, but also to maintain the friendships, shared memories and traditions formed along the way.
Our history, at a glance
The association’s milestones sit within the wider history of fire service recognition in New Zealand.
The UFBA is established
The United Fire Brigades’ Association begins its national work supporting brigades and recognising firefighters’ service. Its service-honours tradition provides important context for the Gold Star.
First meeting in Kaiapoi
The Canterbury Fire Brigades Gold Star Association holds its first meeting in Kaiapoi. This marks the beginning of a lasting Canterbury fellowship of long-serving firefighters.
A national fire service
The New Zealand Fire Service is established, bringing major organisational change. The Canterbury association had already been meeting for a decade.
Fifty years celebrated at Hanmer Springs
Members gather at Hanmer Springs to celebrate the association’s 50th anniversary and reflect on five decades of service and friendship.
Urban and rural traditions come together
The UFBA and the Forest and Rural Fire Association of New Zealand come together, reflecting the close connection between urban and rural firefighting traditions. The Canterbury association recognises eligible recipients from both backgrounds.
Twenty-five years.
A lifetime of commitment.
Receiving a 25-year service honour is a significant milestone in a firefighter’s career. It represents years of training, responding, supporting colleagues and serving communities.
The association welcomes recipients of both the UFBA 25-year Gold Star and the FRFANZ 25-year medal, recognising the shared commitment of urban and rural firefighters.
As members reach further milestones, their continued contribution remains part of the association’s story.
25 years
Gold Star service recognition
50 years
Double Gold Star milestone
Every member has a story.
Photographs, presentation programmes, meeting records and personal recollections help preserve the history of Canterbury’s firefighting community.
We would especially welcome information about the association’s founding members, its first office holders, early meetings and the 2016 jubilee celebrations.
Share a story or photograph →The 1966 Kaiapoi meeting, 2016 Hanmer Springs anniversary and membership description are drawn from the association’s existing website. Other dates provide wider New Zealand fire service context. We welcome original documents that can help us add names, dates and details to the association’s own historical record.