About Us

Image credit: Imray Snaps (find on  Facebook or  Instagram)

The largest women’s sporting event in the world and one of the largest events to ever be hosted in Te Whanganui-a-Tara / Wellington, we were thrilled to work in partnership with our Hato Hone St John colleagues to provide event medical services at all the Sky Stadium matches here in the capital.

Spanning 9 matches and 52 training sessions, in total 102 Wellington Free staff spent 966 hours providing event medical care to 203,770 crowd attendees and attending 124 patients.

Daniel Ashcroft, Events Manager, explains:

"A considerable amount of work has gone into the past few months. This event has highlighted the importance of collaboration and is a great example of how a shared organisational approach, and the teamwork between various departments within Wellington Free Ambulance supports the effective delivery of Event Medical Services. All staff involved directly or indirectly within WFA were important to the success of this tournament, ranging from all operational and head office departments.

"We were tasked with undertaking event medical services for the greatest women’s World Cup in the world while approaching it from an interprofessional collaboration with Hato Hone St John – the first of its kind. The professionalism, high standards of clinical excellence, and dedicated participation from staff allowed this to be a significant step in building a collaborative relationship between the two ambulance services in New Zealand."

An insider’s view – meet Ryan, call-taker and accredited photographer

Image credit: photo of Ryan hard at work photographing a match thanks to NZ Photomac

We were fortunate enough to have another type of insider at all matches, in the form of accredited photographer (and Wellington Free Ambulance call-taker!) Ryan.

A huge sports fan, getting to photograph the FIFA Women's World Cup 2023 has been a dream come true, as he explains:

 “I first picked up the camera in 2020 as a way to help and give back to my football club, Wainuiomata. Two serious knee injuries meant I was no longer able to play and shift work prevented me from being able to be a coach, so I needed to find a way to stay involved with the game I love and have played my whole life!

“Fast forward 3 years and photography has become so much more. It’s become my happy place; it’s become a hobby that allows me to switch off for a couple of hours which is something I need sometimes with the job I have. It’s become my way of interacting with the wider football community in Wellington and giving back to them, nothing makes me happier than knowing how much joy a single image I take brings to people.

“It’s also benefited me with work as I am able to meet the wider WFA team and paramedics at events, something I don’t usually get the chance to do because our roles are different.

“There was never a goal in mind when I picked up the camera, so to be in the position I am now is quite surreal. From photographing at my local club to doing the Blackcaps, All Whites, Wellington Phoenix and now at a football World Cup, a tournament I have only ever watched on TV, it really has become a dream come true. It’s something I never thought I would get the opportunity to do and at times, I found myself having to pinch myself to make sure it was all real!”

You can see more of Ryan’s fantastic photos in our Facebook album.

Overall, our FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 was an incredible experience. Months in the making, it reflects our and Hato Hone St John’s shared commitment to providing the best possible care for our communities.