Female firefighters make up just six percent of all career firefighters in New Zealand. Samara Pepperell was well aware going into it, that she’d be in the minority and what might lay ahead of her – she’d heard enough stories about women donning the uniform and being met with doubt. Here’s what she’s learned about herself though, and perhaps about women in general who find themselves working in male dominated fields – plus, the two words that have continued to drive her forward.
Welcome to our column, A Letter To… Some of our most well-known Kiwis and everyday heroes pen letters about a topic close to their hearts. Some of their names you will know very well, while other’s are kept anonymous to protect the privacy of the subjects. Whether it is a letter to a specific someone, or a group of people, or simply an open letter to broach a difficult subject, each letter is very different, but all will share one common thread; they will all be written from the heart. You can read our other letters here.
This month firefighter Samara Pepperell has penned an open letter to all women working in male-dominated fields and the two words that have carried her through every challenge…
They say strength is measured by muscle, but I’ve learned it’s measured by courage. It’s the quiet kind that shows up when you walk into a room where no one expects you to be.
When I joined Fire and Emergency nearly three years ago, I knew I was stepping into a world built long before women like me were part of the picture. I’d heard the stories about the early days when a woman in uniform was met with doubt before respect, curiosity before camaraderie. And yet, I’ve been lucky. My experience has been overwhelmingly positive, and that’s a privilege I don’t take lightly, because sexism isn’t gone, but neither is progress.
I’ve been surrounded by colleagues who see me as a firefighter first. They don’t pretend gender is invisible, but they never weaponise it either. That balance of acknowledgement without limitation is powerful. It’s proof that change doesn’t always have to be loud; sometimes it’s steady, consistent, and grounded in respect. Every woman in this job owes something to the ones who came before, those who kept showing up when the welcome mat wasn’t laid out. Every door we walk through now was once pushed open by someone who wasn’t immediately invited in. Sometimes all it takes is one voice saying, “You could do this.” For me, it was “Back yourself.” Two simple words, but they’ve carried me through every challenge since.
Women make up just six percent of New Zealand’s career firefighters. That number is growing, but there’s still a long way to go and every time a woman puts on the uniform, she makes it easier for the next one to imagine herself doing the same. Representation isn’t about tokenism, it’s about possibility. When you see someone who looks like you doing something you never thought you could, something clicks – the impossible starts to feel like a choice. That’s why being part of the very first all-female career firefighters calendar matters so much to me. Aptly named Wahine Toa, it’s not about glam, it’s about visibility, pride, and flipping the script. It shows the real faces and bodies of women who do this work every day, women who run toward danger, not away from it. It celebrates strength in all its forms and says, we’re here too.
Before firefighting, I spent a decade in sport. I’ve seen the full spectrum of elite athletic bodies, tall, small, broad, and lean, all powerful in completely different ways. But as a society we still cling to one image of what an athlete looks like and the same applies to firefighting. There is no universal firefighter body, capability isn’t defined by size or brute strength, it’s about skill, teamwork, calm, empathy, and resilience. Most women underestimate what they’re capable of, and it’s not a lack of ability that holds us back, it’s a lack of belief. That’s something we can change, one voice, one example, one conversation at a time.
Women bring so many strengths to this profession, communication, adaptability, empathy and problem-solving. At its heart, firefighting is about helping people on their worst days, that skill and ability to step up and care under pressure transcends gender entirely. When I look at the calendar, I don’t just see photos. I see stories of women who have earned their place through grit, teamwork, and heart. I see role models for the next generation, and I see a profession that’s slowly, steadily evolving to reflect the communities it serves.
To any woman standing on the edge of something new and something that feels out of reach, back yourself. Whether it’s firefighting, engineering, or anything else that still feels like a “man’s world,” step forward anyway. Because the moment you do, you make space for someone else to follow.
We’re not here to prove we can do it like the men, we’re here to prove we can do it as ourselves, and together, we’ll keep lighting the way, one fire, one voice, one calendar page at a time.
The Wahine Toa Firefighter calendar is available to purchase from the Breast Cancer Cure website. All proceeds go towards breast cancer research.