St John declares major incident response amid record 111 call volumes

Monday 10 August 2026 · 5 outlets · 3 reports · updated Mon 10 Aug, 8:35am

Hato Hone St John has activated its emergency operations centre following its busiest day on record this past Saturday. The ambulance service reported nearly 16,000 calls last week due to seasonal illnesses, leading to a major incident response. Patients may experience longer wait times as the service manages the unsustainable demand.

How they headlined it

7:32am8:35am

1. 1NewsMon 10 Aug, 7:32am

   St John bracing for another 111 spike amid record demand (opens in new tab)

2. NZ HeraldMon 10 Aug, 7:48am

   Associate Health Minister Casey Costello backs St John’s response to record 111 demand (opens in new tab)

3. The Press via RNZMon 10 Aug, 8:35am

   Hato Hone St John braces for another call spike after record-breaking ambulance demand (opens in new tab)

   Also on Waikato Times (opens in new tab), The Post (opens in new tab)