Swann said the theft defied belief.
"I find it unbelievable that someone would take an important piece of equipment from medical staff while they are helping that person's family member."
St John Far North manager Ben Lockie said the theft was "very disappointing".
"Staff were there trying to help somebody - that's what we do - so for someone to take advantage of that is quite disgusting."
The iPad was recovered within half an hour.
Even if the tablet had not been recovered it would have been useless to anyone but St John.
The devices could be tracked and disabled remotely so the thief would have been left with nothing but an expensive paperweight, Lockie said.
In 2012 thieves raided an ambulance while paramedics worked on a patient in Whangarei and stole a $40,000 defibrillator along with other first aid equipment.
A police dog found the defibrillator after it was thrown over a fence. It had to be sent away for recalibration, depriving Whangarei of a life-saving machines while tests were carried out to ensure it was still working properly.
Northland St John manager Tony Devanney said the stupidity of a few people who had taken the machine could have led to someone's death.
