About Us

As parents, we do everything we can to keep our children safe from harm. But even when we do all the right things, we can’t protect them from everything. When something happens to them, it’s the worst feeling imaginable.

Darren and Louise went through that awful experience again and again last year when their two-year-old daughter Maddy needed an ambulance three times. Each time the situation was different, each time what the family needed was different.  But every time, we were there for them.

Louise remembers how the paramedics found time to care for her the first time an ambulance was called for Maddy: “I was in such a panic, and the paramedics were just really calming and explained everything to us. They had seen how emotional I was, and were extra supportive. They were checking her over, but they had time to support me too.”

Hear more from Louise and Darren and their experience here.

Maddy’s experience also had a big impact on her sister Jorja. She developed a fear of ambulances and paramedics, and we wanted to help her overcome her fears.

Jorja and Louise came to our ambulance station in Thorndon, and met Emergency Medical Technician Amy.

Amy showed Jorja around the station and chatted to her about how ambulances help people. Once Jorja relaxed, Amy put her uniform on, and Jorja was brave enough to sit in the ambulance with her.

“Amy doing that made the biggest difference – Jorja realised that Paramedics are just normal people,” Louise told us.

Jorja’s thank you card to Amy said it all.