New Zealand's female firefighters are preparing to return – and are once again setting the internet alight as plans take shape for their 2027 charity calendar, with the campaign attracting an enthusiastic sapphic following online.
The Wāhine Toa Firefighter Calendar is planned to return after its inaugural 2026 edition raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Breast Cancer Cure and attracted orders from more than 40 countries.
The project first made headlines in October 2025, when 13 female career firefighters from nine stations across three New Zealand cities came together for the inaugural 2026 calendar. More than 15,000 copies were eventually sold worldwide, according to Breast Cancer Cure.
Now, the women are preparing to build on that success as the popular fundraiser enters its next chapter.
The Firefighters Who Set the Internet Ablaze
The original idea came from firefighters Nicole Koch and Zoe Feau while they were on shift and discussing the traditional male firefighter calendar.
'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?" And then it just went from there,' Koch told in an interview.
The result was New Zealand's first national calendar featuring female career firefighters.
The women deliberately wanted the photographs to celebrate both their profession and their femininity without reducing them to sexualised images. Koch previously said the team wanted to show that they could 'honour both our profession and our femininity' while raising money for an important cause.
The campaign nevertheless attracted huge attention online.
One promotional video amassed millions of views, while the first print run sold out within 26 hours. Reports at the time said the fundraiser had already raised NZ$100,000 (£42,300), before subsequent sales pushed the total much higher.
The inaugural calendar ultimately sold more than 15,000 copies, with Fire and Emergency New Zealand later reporting that the fundraiser had raised NZ$298,000 (£126,300) for Breast Cancer Cure.
A Sapphic Following – And a Serious Cause
The campaign also attracted a particularly enthusiastic reaction from women and sapphic fans online, with social media users joking about their newfound admiration for the firefighters. The response echoed the strong reaction to the original campaign, which quickly attracted international attention and a large following online.
But behind the online excitement is a deeply personal reason for the campaign.
The firefighters chose Breast Cancer Cure because breast cancer has affected members of the group through family and close friends. Co-organiser Feau previously described the charity as a 'natural cause' because the team wanted to support an issue specifically affecting women.
For some of the firefighters, the cause is particularly close to home. Samara Pepperell has spoken publicly about her mother's experience with breast cancer, while other women involved have also had loved ones affected by the disease.
Breast Cancer Cure supports research into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, making the calendar a way for the firefighters to combine their profession with a cause close to many of their hearts.
With the first edition selling more than 15,000 copies and reaching supporters around the world, expectations will be high for the 2027 edition.
And if the reaction to the latest campaign is anything to go by, the firefighters may once again have found an effective way to turn internet attention into much-needed funding for breast cancer research.
