Thirteen firefighters from nine stations across New Zealand have teamed up for the Wāhine Toa Firefighter Calendar.

While firefighter calendars have traditionally been all about the blokes, co-founder Samara Pepperell told More FM’s Breakfast Club with Si & Lana, “The men can do a calendar and be taken seriously, we can do the same.”

“There’s nothing wrong with celebrating your femininity, sexy, strong. I think we can toe the line. Now is the time.”

Every cent raised goes straight to Breast Cancer Cure, a cause that hits close to home for the team.

Samara’s mum battled breast cancer 15 years ago and is now in remission. “Even if you don’t know someone personally, the stats in New Zealand are pretty horrific,” she said. “It’s kind of always in the back of your mind.”

With only six percent of professional firefighters in New Zealand being wāhine, the crew put the call out nationwide and ended up with 13 firefighters for the inaugural calendar. 

There were plenty of nerves on launch day. “I had better sleep at the station than I did last night,”

Despite the nerves, the calendar is already on track to hit its goal of 5,000 copies sold, raising around $10,000 for Breast Cancer Cure NZ.

Their Instagram following has also exploded after sharing reels from the photoshoot, jumping from 500 followers to more than 70,000 in just a week.

And while this is their first calendar, it sounds like there’s more to come. “Don’t ask how we’re doing next year, we’ve had an abundance of messages already,” Samara said.

The Wāhine Toa Firefighter Calendar is available now at breastcancercure.org.nz, with worldwide shipping. Every cent raised goes directly to breast cancer research.