Hill Laboratories, New Zealand’s largest privately owned analytical testing laboratory, has partnered with the Waikato District Health Board to provide additional testing capacity in Hamilton for SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus that causes Covid-19).
Hill Laboratories is the only non-DHB facility in the Waikato providing the testing service, and one of only three non-DHB laboratories across New Zealand approved to test for Covid-19.
Hill Laboratories recognised the importance of rapid and extensive testing for the coronavirus early on, so offered their support.
Jonno Hill
“Waikato DHB engaged with us early on during alert level 4 lockdown, assessed our capability and laboratory facilities and decided to partner with us,” says CEO Jonno Hill.
“The partnership means that the testing capacity in the Waikato will be increased considerably.”
Once the decision was made to partner in April, the company moved quickly into implementation mode, working closely with International Accreditation New Zealand (IANZ).
“Our team has put in hard work and long hours to make sure this service was available in a record time of 18 working days,” says Dr Hill.
“The testing will be carried out in a secure laboratory environment by a few select personnel, and will be kept separate from all the other testing we conduct for other clients.”
