These Kiwi Firefighters Accidentally Became Internet Icons With Their Charity Calendar
New Zealand’s first all-women firefighter calendar has raised $130,000 (and counting!) for breast cancer research—and lit up feeds in the process.
Featured image by Flora Driessen
When a group of female firefighters in New Zealand decided to make a calendar, they were expecting to raise a bit of money for charity, not to become international internet crushes. But that’s exactly what happened with the Wāhine Toa Firefighter Calendar, the country’s first all-women professional firefighter calendar, which has raised over $100,000 to support New Zealand’s research organization, Breast Cancer Cure, and sparked global attention.
The project started with a conversation between firefighters Nicole Koch and Zoe Feau during a routine shift. “Zoe and I were actually on shift together, we were talking about the men’s calendar, and we were like, ‘Why isn’t there a woman’s one?’ So we’re just like, ‘Maybe we should just make one ourselves and how hard could it be?’” Koch told the morning show Breakfast.
They teamed up with fellow firefighter Samara Pepperell, who handled the content and social media. The trio pulled together a group of 13 women from nine stations across three cities. Each calendar sells for 20 NZD (about 11 USD), with all profits going directly to the cause.
A short teaser video posted to Instagram in October set everything in motion. The clip, featuring the women posing for a group shot set to Taylor Swift’s “Opalite,” was meant as a simple preview. Instead, it’s received over 870k likes and 10k comments. “When we put that first video up, it was supposed to just be a little teaser,” Pepperell told The Spinoff. “I was like, this is way too good to be a story, let’s chuck it in a reel.”
Online, the response has been loud and understandably sapphic. “I never got the concept of a firefighters calendar until this moment tbh,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “im definitely gay.” The thirst may be strong, but the admiration is real.
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Photographer Flora Driessen said she wanted to portray the firefighters’ confidence and individuality without falling into clichés. “Often when you think of a firefighter shoot, it is overly saturated towards sex,” she said. “We can still be sexy but powerful. I think sexy is within the power of being a woman.”
For Koch and the team, the project is as much about representation as it is about fundraising. “I think it’s really important that we take up space in this job,” Koch said. “So instead of trying to pretend we’re little men, maybe we just be ourselves.”
The calendars sold out within 24 hours of launch, hitting their $100,000 goal. Due to overwhelming demand, pre-orders for a second print run are open until November 10, raising an additional $30,000 so far. Shipping is expected at the end of the month. International fans can order too, though the flat 65 NZD (about 36.75 USD) shipping fee means you may want to team up with friends to buy in bulk.
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