St John station on the move
Temporary home while building undergoes revamp
The Waih¯ı Hato Hone St John ambulance station is in for a long-awaited revamp — its first in two decades. While the station on 21 Johnston St undergoes some much-needed upgrades, ambulances and paramedics make the temporary move to 32 Haszard St.
A St John spokesperson said the need for a new and improved building was first recognised 20 years ago, but plans were put on hold due to lack of funding.
Earlier this week, a karakia was held at the original station to bless the building ahead of the revamp. Another karakia was held at the new temporary station.
St John’s general manager of community engagement, Amy Mcnaughten, attended the blessing.
“It was fantastic to have local iwi present to mark the start of this new journey for our teams in Waih¯ı and the local community.”
Being home to first responders, local area committee members, and the health shuttle service, the group operations manager for Central West, Julia Te Huia, said a new building is a dream come true.
“Our local heroes at the Waih¯ı station are dedicated to serving their community, and they deserve to have facilities that are better suited to their everyday operations.
“We cannot express our gratitude enough to our local donors who have supported us as we worked tirelessly to raise the funds needed to start making our dream a reality.”
Mcnaughten said there were always more options for fundraising.
“We’re embarking on a fundraising journey to ensure the new building becomes a space that reflects the care and dedication of our frontline crew, area committees, and the health shuttle team around Waih¯ı.
“Keep an eye out for our teams including many volunteers as they hit the streets, and please donate if you are in a position to do so.”
Construction of the new ambulance station is estimated to take 18 months to complete. All Waih¯ı ambulance operations will be at 32 Haszard St until the new station is in operation.