St John's Confirms Seeking 100% Percent Funding From Government; At Least $48 Million Needed Based On 2021 Figures

St John's has confirmed it is seeking 100% government funding.

One-hundred percent government for its emergency services is being sought, says Hato Hone St John in a statement provided to The New Zealand Reporter today.

“We believe this needs to be 100 percent to ensure ongoing financial sustainability. We are heartened by the Government’s commitment to renegotiate the Crown funding agreement”

Hato Hone St John, 11 March 2024

Pictured: St John and FENZ responding to an incident at intersection of Linwood Avenue and Buckley’s Road in May 2023.

A NZR source had heard St. John CEO Bradley addressing a graduation ceremony in Auckland earlier this year. The source couldn’t give an exact figure but was adamant the figure given by the CEO exceeded 90 percent.

In Canterbury, St John’s increased reliance on the NZ Fire Service to attend emergencies has underlined the degree to which it is struggling to meet community-level demand. FENZ Data released exclusively to the NZR shows the trend developing between 2010 and 2023 (below) across medical and vehicle accident callouts in the Canterbury region.