Tauranga Lotto winner donates ambulance to St John

Grant, Camille, Brooke, Alexis, Annabelle, Mila, Amanda with a new ambulance donated by a Tauranga Lotto player. Photo/John Cowpland

The generosity of a Tauranga Lotto winner means a new state-of-the-art ambulance has been unveiled and gifted to St John.

The man, who would only be known as an ASB customer, said he wanted to help others and one of the charities he liked was St John.

"Being able to donate an ambulance through ASB today is tremendously rewarding."

The fully-equipped Gen 3 ambulance and life-saving equipment worth $230,000 was blessed by a St John chaplain this afternoon at the unveiling ceremony in Hawkes Bay, along with another ambulance being donated to Napier by ASB.

St John's ambulance operations is 74 per cent funded, its equipment – like ambulances – and buildings are not government funded.

St John territory manager for Western Bay of Plenty, Ross Clarke, said the generosity of this ASB customer helped to ensure local ambulance crews had the most up-to-date vehicles and lifesaving equipment to treat Tauranga patients.

"No one knows when they will need an ambulance, but if, and when the time comes, you need to know you'll get the right care at the right time.

"The donated Tauranga-bound ASB ambulance includes an automated Powerload Stryker Stretcher to help reduce lifting injures for St John Ambulance officers. The vehicle is also equipped with 180-degree LED emergency lights for greater safety. It is fully road-ready and will be getting straight to work within the Tauranga region.

"We're grateful for the generous support in purchasing a much-needed ambulance for the region. This ambulance will be on the road helping us save lives from this moment on," Clarke said.

ASB Tauranga central branch manager Amber Joines said the bank wanted to thank the man for his support of such an important lifesaving charity.

"We value helping Kiwis achieve their financial goals, but it's also really important to us to give back to the communities we work and live in. That's why we've been a proud supporter of St John for 10 years now and our Bay of Plenty team is incredibly honoured to be part of this memorable day."

ASB head of community and sponsorship Mark Graham said: "We'd also like to thank the people of the Bay of Plenty and the New Zealand public for your generosity and helping turn block toy ambulances into much-needed real ones. In fact, over the past three years three ASB ambulances have been added to the St John fleet."