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Bay of Plenty firefighters have not inspected any emergency housing for almost a year, after they asked for stabproof vests and didn't get them.
In that time a fire broke out at a lodge in Taupō that could have been deadly.
RNZ can reveal more than 100 of the Bay's motels used by the government for emergency housing have been escaping inspection of their alarms and evacuation schemes, since at least last October.
Previous inspections have found many breaches, and there have been several fires.
Phil Pennington spoke to Corin Dann.