Hato Hone St John Seeking $4.5m To Fund New Ambulance Stations

This June, Hato Hone St John is once again calling on the support of Kiwis to help raise $4.5million for the building and urgent repair of 13 ambulance stations around Aotearoa New Zealand.

Hato Hone St John Chief Executive Peter Bradley says this year’s Annual Appeal is more than just raising money for bricks and mortar.

“This is about future-proofing our stations, the home base for our emergency crews, so that no matter what tomorrow brings, our teams will always be there for communities when they need us most,” Mr Bradley says.

“For our ambulance officers they are also a home away from home and a place to reset, recharge and connect with each other after attending a call out.”

Ambulance stations are also often a vital community hub for volunteers, including those delivering first aid training and running St John Youth programmes.

Money raised from this year’s Light the Way Annual Appeal will go towards 10 new builds and three major repairs of Hato Hone St John Ambulance stations.

The locations are Kawakawa, Whangarei, Auckland Central (Pitt Street), Waihi, Cambridge, Morrinsville, Palmerston North, Rangiora, Nelson, Akaroa, Oamaru, Riversdale and Invercargill.

Frontline ambulance crews had an exceptionally busy year in 2024, responding to more than 450,000 incidents nationwide.

“Over the past decade demand for our services has increased nearly 90% percent,” Mr Bradley says.

“To keep up with this growing demand, our ambulance stations need to grow and adapt. Many require urgent repairs or complete rebuilds to meet modern safety standards and ensure we can continue to look after our ambulance officers and ready to respond."

Hato Hone St John provides emergency ambulance services to 97 percent of the country’s geographical area.

Fundraising supports the costs of running the emergency ambulance service and helps towards infrastructure costs - like ambulance stations, essential buildings, repairs and maintenance.

Hato Hone St John staff and volunteers will be out on the street with collection buckets on 14 and 15 June, with schools and businesses supporting with local fundraising activities.

For more information and to donate to Hato Hone St John, visit the Light the Way Annual Appeal website at Lighttheway.stjohn.org.nz

Proceeds from Annual Appeal 2025 will go towards:

1. Kawakawa (Major renovation)
2. Whangarei (New build)
3. Auckland Central (Annual upkeep - repairs)
4. Waihi (New build)
5. Cambridge (New build))
6. Morrinsville (New build)
7. Palmerston (New build)
8. Rangiora (Renovation funded - planning stage)
9. Nelson (New build)
10. Akaroa (New build)
11. Oamaru (New build)
12. Riversdale (New build)
13. Invercargill (New build)

Other Annual Appeal facts:

• The first Annual Appeal was held in Auckland in 1907, and it was named Ambulance Saturday.
• In 1975 the first 24-hour live Telethon was televised on TV2 to raise money for St John Ambulance. The event raised just under $600,000 in 24 hours, which was a national fundraising record at the time.
• In 2024 the Annual Appeal raised $3.9million towards building projects.
• A special Giving Day is planned for later in June when donations given in a 24-hour period will be doubled.

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