24 January 2025
Rodney Parsons
[FYI request #29023 email]
Tēnā koe Rodney
Your request for official information, reference: HNZ00074354
Thank you for your follow up email on 4 December 2024, asking Health New Zealand | Te Whatu
Ora for the following under the Of icial Information Act 1982 (the Act):
Emergency Caller Location Information has repeatedly failed, resulting in ambulance
arriving at the wrong address. Please outline the cause of this issue and responses to
reduce this issue from reoccuring. Provide copies of any reports or investigations that you
have taken to address this situation.
Large gaps in mapping exist in the CAD currently and have existed over a long period of
time. Provide a list of known gaps in the mapping system. Please outline the cause of this
issue and responses to reduce this issue from reoccurring. Provide copies of any reports or
investigations that you have taken to address this situation.
You've highlighted recent increases in funding. Outline what the ambulance services
requested for funding and what their and your planning and advice was on what they
needed to address issues related to performance, quality and safety. Explain the decisions
made to underfund the services below what they requested, and what you recommended.
There are a series of safety issues reported by the HDC recently, naming ambulance
organisations and specifically calling out a lack of funding as a cause of deaths. Provide an
explanation for what Health New Zealand's response is to the criticisms and
recommendations to funding of ambulance services.
Response
For ease of reference, I wil respond to each part of your request in turn.
Emergency Caller Location Information has repeatedly failed, resulting in ambulance
arriving at the wrong address. Please outline the cause of this issue and responses to
reduce this issue from reoccuring. Provide copies of any reports or investigations that you
have taken to address this situation.
Health New Zealand does not hold information relating to the Emergency Caller Location
Information (ECLI). The ECLI team sits with the NZ Police, while the policy function is held by the
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. Health NZ consulted on a transfer to this part of
your request to NZ Police under section 14(b)(i ) of the Act, however this was unsuccessful. If you
want more information about the ECLI system, please make a request directly to NZ Police.
Large gaps in mapping exist in the CAD currently and have existed over a long period of
time. Provide a list of known gaps in the mapping system. Please outline the cause of this
issue and responses to reduce this issue from reoccurring. Provide copies of any reports or
investigations that you have taken to address this situation.
This part of your request is refused under section 18(g) of the Act, as the information you have
requested is not held by Health NZ | Te Whatu Ora and we have no grounds to believe that the
information is held by another entity subject to the Act. If you want more information about the
mapping systems, we suggest you contact Hone Hato St John (HHStJ).
You've highlighted recent increases in funding. Outline what the ambulance services
requested for funding and what their and your planning and advice was on what they
needed to address issues related to performance, quality and safety. Explain the decisions
made to underfund the services below what they requested, and what you recommended.
Emergency Road Ambulance Service resource requirements are informed by complex simulations
which allow modelling and planning of optimal resource deployment, enabling a hierarchy of
performance objectives including staff utilisation levels and service response times.
With the investment in (300) addition staff, the Ambulance Team has observed improved provider
performance since 2022; performances of PURPLE-triaged incidents (suspected cardiac and
respiratory arrest) have steadily improved in all categories (rural and urban). October 2024 had the
best urban PURPLE 6-minute performance (65%) in almost 10 years. Likewise, RED-triaged
incident (appearing immediately life- or limb-threatening or time critical) performance has also been
improving due to the increased resource funding, and additionally, provider performance
improvement action plans. HHStJ’s urban RED 8-minute performance improved 8% since June
2022 and WFA’s urban RED 8-minute October 2024 performance was their highest since April
2022.
There are a series of safety issues reported by the HDC recently, naming ambulance
organisations and specifically calling out a lack of funding as a cause of deaths. Provide an
explanation for what Health New Zealand's response is to the criticisms and
recommendations to funding of ambulance services.
The purpose of the Of icial Information Act is to provide access to official information held by the
Government, in order to enable participation in law-making and promote the accountability of
Ministers and officials. Please note that the Act does not require an agency to form an opinion or
create new information to answer a request. This part of your request is therefore refused under
section 18(g) of the Act.
How to get in touch
If you have any questions, you can contact us at
[email address].
If you are not happy with this response, you have the right to make a complaint to the
Ombudsman. Information about how to do this is available at
www.ombudsman.parliament.nz or
by phoning 0800 802 602.
As this information may be of interest to other members of the public, Health NZ may proactively
release a copy of this response on our website. Al requester data, including your name and
contact details, wil be removed prior to release.
Nāku iti noa, nā
David Richards
Group Manager Ambulance – Living Wel
Planning, Funding and Outcomes
TeWhatuOra.govt.nz
Health NZ, PO Box 793,
Wel ington 6140, New Zealand
