Hato Hone St John to add over 220 frontline ambulance staff

The new staff include ambulance officers, call handlers, dispatchers and clinicians. The first new paramedics and technicians will be on the road in Auckland before winter 2027.

Hato Hone St John has agreed to a four-year funding contract with the Government to operate its Emergency Ambulance Service, with $258 million in new investment over the four years. The contract takes effect by the end of November and runs to 30 June 2030.

Chief Executive Peter Bradley said the day-to-day costs of the ambulance service will be fully funded by Health NZ, ACC and patient part-charges by mid-2028.

The Health NZ and ACC funding also covers expanded clinical telephone support to help patients access appropriate care. It includes direct investment in recruiting and keeping ambulance volunteers, particularly in rural and high-deprivation communities.

Upgraded protective equipment, staff training and critical frontline equipment are part of the funding too.

Hato Hone St John will keep contributing to the service through savings and fundraising for new ambulances, specialist equipment and ambulance station redevelopments. Bradley said money donated by the public can now go further, funding more than 200 new ambulances over the four years.

Hato Hone St John provides emergency ambulance services to 90 percent of people in New Zealand, across 97 percent of the country, and helps over 500,000 patients every year. It has around 3,500 paid staff and over 7,000 volunteers.