New Zealand Flying Doctor Service

Name: New Zealand Flying Doctor Service
Telephone: +64 3 662 9698

Air ambulance and flying doctor service based in Christchurch, New Zealand

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About New Zealand Flying Doctor Service

The New Zealand Flying Doctor Service is a flying intensive care unit that moves critically ill patients between hospitals across New Zealand. It was set up in 1995 to serve the West Coast and other remote parts of the South Island, and is supported by the New Zealand Flying Doctor Trust, a charity based in Christchurch.

What it does

24/7 critical care transfers between hospitals, bed to bed
Patients include burn victims, spinal injuries, neonatal transfers, trauma patients and surgery transfers
Transport of blood and medical equipment
Flights across the South Island and to North Island hospitals including Starship, Wellington, New Plymouth and Tauranga, and to the Chatham Islands

Aircraft and bases

Bases at Christchurch and Nelson airports
Pressurised aircraft that can cross the Southern Alps; a Beechcraft King Air B200 was added at Nelson in 2024
Pilots are provided by GCH Aviation; flight nurses and medical staff come from Te Whatu Ora hospitals
22 flight nurses from the Christchurch Hospital intensive care unit work on a 24 hour roster, plus 7 flight nurses from Nelson Hospital

Numbers

1,402 patients flown in 2025, close to 1,500 a year on average
692 patients flown in the first half of 2026, about 115 a month, and flights are rising year on year
More than half of missions now start from the Nelson base
The Trust contributes NZ$2,500 to every mission to cover the gap between government funding and demand

History

The service began in 1995. One of its first missions was flying medical teams from Christchurch to Greymouth after the Cave Creek disaster on 27 April 1995. It has grown since with community support and donations.