Regional health investment

A new Waikato air ambulance base at Hamilton Airport underscores how long‑term infrastructure investment, funding certainty and workforce planning are shaping the future of regional health services, reports Mary Anne Gill.

Health Minister Simeon Brown, right, with Life Flight chair Richard Stone. Photo: Mary Anne Gill

The arrival of a permanent Life Flight aeromedical hub at Hamilton Airport strengthens emergency response capability across the central North Island and reinforces Hamilton’s role in regional healthcare delivery.

Health Minister Simeon Brown, speaking at the official opening last month, says the purpose‑built base reflects the type of infrastructure New Zealand needs to meet rising demand while improving equitable access to care across the regions.

“Ultimately that’s the type of infrastructure you need – all the equipment you need and the machines to be able to deliver the services,” Brown says.

The base will house Life Flight’s fourth fixed‑wing air ambulance, a Beechcraft King Air B200C, expanding time‑critical aeromedical coverage across the central North Island.

The service provides intensive care and neonatal transfers for Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki, Northland, Gisborne and Manawatū‑Whanganui.

Life Flight chief executive Mark Johnston says the new Waikato aeromedical hub will play a pivotal role in ensuring patients reach definitive care faster – often in minutes rather than hours.

“Our new Waikato aeromedical hub will play a vital role in that mission, helping ensure patients reach lifesaving care at Waikato Hospital and other regional centres.”

Since its establishment in 1975, Life Flight has provided life‑saving aeromedical care to more than 40,000 people, with demand continuing to grow.

“In the next decade we expect to support a further 20,000 patients in their moments of greatest need,” says Johnston.

The base forms part of Life Flight’s wider expansion which has been supported by a $1 million grant from the New Zealand Community Trust, alongside ongoing public funding.

Brown says that combination of government investment and community backing is essential for high‑cost, high‑impact services to operate sustainably.

“Health New Zealand puts significant amounts of resource into all of these services,” he told The News.

“But of course there are very generous trusts and partners who support these services as well, which is hugely important and plays a really important role in keeping them going.”

Brown says multi‑year contracts provide certainty for capital investment and workforce planning.

“Each year we go through a process to look at funding and making sure that we provide uplifts to the services which play this role,” he says.

“For fixed‑wing services, the contracts are over four or five years. Those contracts provide that level of service and provide that support to these entities.”

Certainty is critical for a not‑for‑profit organisation operating at the frontline of emergency care, says Johnston.

“As a not‑for‑profit, we need to raise about $4000 every time we fly to help ensure that we’re available 24/7, 365 days a year.”

The Life Flight base opens against the backdrop of ageing national health infrastructure.

“The average age of hospital buildings is around 47 years, so there certainly is a need for significant investment,” he says.

There is a $7.5 billion funded pipeline of health infrastructure projects, either under construction or in planning, including major hospital redevelopments.

“It’s a big task ahead of us to make sure we have the modern infrastructure New Zealanders need.”

While large hospital builds attract public attention, assets such as air ambulance bases are critical enablers, particularly for regional communities distant from tertiary care.

But investment in emergency response must sit alongside strong primary and community care.

“The number one issue for New Zealanders needing to access primary care is the time it takes to get a GP appointment,” he says.

The Budget last year delivered around $175 million towards primary care alongside workforce initiatives including expanded training places, support for nurse practitioners and progress on the Waikato Medical School, which he described as “critically important to this region”.

As pressure on the health system continues to grow, investments such as the Life Flight base highlight the role regional infrastructure plays in connecting patients to care, supporting frontline services and building resilience across the wider network.