The Government has unveiled a multimillion-dollar funding boost to New Zealand’s ambulance services, promising more frontline staff, new facilities and upgraded technology to meet rising demand.
Health Minister Simeon Brown and Associate Health Minister Casey Costello today announced $35 million over four years in Budget 2026 to improve road ambulance services, alongside further funding increases from Health New Zealand and ACC yet to be finalised.
The Budget investment would fund two new ambulance hubs in Auckland, the roll out of an electronic patient record system, additional training for communications centre staff, and more clinical welfare checks for patients.
Brown said the changes aimed to ensure a faster response and better support for frontline crews.
"When New Zealanders call an ambulance, they need confidence that they will get the help they need quickly and that frontline crews have the support and resources they need to respond," he said.
Costello said the funding boost came at a time of increasing demand on emergency ambulances, with an increase of 95,000 incidents to an estimated 735,000 incidents over the next four years.
The increased funding from Health NZ and ACC would support additional frontline ambulance crews and 111 call handlers, strengthened volunteer recruitment and retention with a focus on rural and high-deprivation areas, as well as an an enhanced clinical hub to provide clinical telephone advice and support more patients to resolve their care needs without an ambulance response.
Costello said volunteers would remain a critical part of the system "sustaining emergency care for those communities".
"The enhanced clinical hub will help more patients access the right level of care sooner through clinical telephone advice and allow crews to focus on higher-acuity emergencies," she said.
"The overall investment is expected to reduce avoidable emergency department transports by around 23,000 each year by 2029/30, while supporting the infrastructure needed to improve service delivery and meet future demand."
The latest announcement buildt on increased spending since 2023, including an additional $77.7 million from Health New Zealand and ACC, bringing total ambulance funding to $452 million for the 2025/26 financial year.
Brown said the focus was on both immediate improvements and long-term resilience.
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“This investment is about fixing the basics and building the future — strengthening ambulance crews’ ability to respond quickly and ensuring services are equipped to meet growing demand,” he said.
Costello said the overall funding increase contributes to the National–NZ First Coalition Agreement commitment.
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