Kawakawa ambulance station reopened, but funding gap remains

Kawakawa's Hato Hone ambulance crews are back under one roof after months apart when the facility was closed for repairs. Photo / Jenny Ling

Kawakawa’s ambulance crews are back under one roof for the first time in months, but Hato Hone St John still needs to raise up to $300,000 to finish repairs to the stations.

Nationwide Hato Hone is calling on the support of Kiwis to help raise $4.5 million for urgent repairs to 13 stations, including Kawakawa, to be able to manage the growing demand for their services.

Last year the station was closed and deemed no longer fit for purpose after toxic mould was discovered in the building.

The station side was reopened in April, with the community side of the building due to be completed this month .

Hato Hone St John area operations manager Leigh Knightbridge said the team was glad to be back at their station.

“Not only is it less travel for the team, but it is a sense of going home, back to the station where the teams share camaraderie. It’s a bit like a family, with easy banter and support after a tough shift.”

She said now they needed to cover the funding gap to finish the remainder of the work.

“The reno is mainly complete. However, we still need to raise around $250-300k, to help fund these repairs.”

After the closure, ambulance services were split across two other locations, with emergency services based out of a flat at the Kawakawa hospital, and patient transfer services moved to the Kerikeri station, a 30 to 40-minute drive away.

“Every year Hato Hone St John are seeing increasing demand for our services across the country. With a growing population and demand on national health services our frontline teams are experiencing more callouts.”

She said this all put pressure on the existing stations.

Hato Hone St John chief executive Peter Bradley said 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.”

“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.”

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, Whangārei, Auckland Central (Pitt St), Waihī, Cambridge, Morrinsville, Palmerston North, Rangiora, Nelson, Akaroa, Ōamaru, 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%. To keep up with this growing demand, our ambulance stations need to grow and adapt.”

Hato Hone St John staff and volunteers will be out on the street with collection buckets on June 14 and 15, 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.