Emergency help
In an emergency call 111
The New Zealand Fire Service, Ambulance Services and the New Zealand Police all respond to this number.
Visit the emergency services 111 website.
The service was first introduced in Masterton and Carterton on 29 September 1958 as a trial, and began in Christchurch in 1964.
What do you do when there is an emergency? Who do you contact for help? This is a listing of some organisations to connect you with help when you need it.
Earthquake assistance
If you need emergency repairs following earthquake damage call 0800 326 242 (0800 DAMAGE). For more information visit the Earthquake Commission website. More useful links can be found on our Earthquake recovery page.
Emergency services
- New Zealand Fire Service
- Official site providing information about the organisation, its people, role and equipment, plus latest news, recruitment, building requirements
- New Zealand Police
- New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for reducing crime and enhancing community safety. Police provide services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, operating from more than 400 community-based police stations.
- St John New Zealand
- St John provides communities with emergency and non-emergency ambulance services, emergency care and first aid at public events and first aid training
See also:
- Fire brigades
- Listing of local fire brigade details from CINCH, Community Information Christchurch
Civil Defence
- Civil Defence
- The Ministry of Civil Defence and Emergency Management aims to make New Zealand and its communities resilient to hazards and disasters.
- Canterbury Civil Defence Emergency Management Group
- The Canterbury CDEM Group is a partnership of local authorities, emergency services and other organisations tasked with providing effective and comprehensive management of major hazards and their consequences anywhere in Canterbury.
Safe TXT
If you are hitch-hiking, walking home or using a taxi late at night, you can register your whereabouts on a central database via text message and in the unlikely event that you go missing, the police can access the information you recorded.
Important Note
This service is in not a replacement for calling 111 if people are in danger or feeling threatened. The messages are not monitored and will only be accessed following a formal approach from the police.
Community support and helplines
- LifeLine
- LifeLine provides free, professional and confidential telephone counselling services and professional ‘Face to Face’ counselling (by appointment) with payment on a sliding scale.
- Christchurch Women's Refuge
- Creates safe places and offers support for helping survivors of family violence.
- Helplines
- Helplines and support organisations targeted for teenagers. Listing from the Pulse te Auaha.
- Community support and social agencies
- Internet gateway’s list of community support web sites
- Support groups
- Internet gateway list of support groups
- Neighbourhood watch programmes
- Listing of local programmes from CINCH, Community Information Christchurch
Aid agencies
- Red Cross New Zealand
- The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is the largest humanitarian network in the world. New Zealand Red Cross runs overseas and local programmes. Local programmes include volunteers delivering meals on wheels, community outreach and support, community transport and much more.
- Aid and aid agencies
- Internet gateway’s list of aid agency web sites.
- Salvation Army
- Offers a wide range of emergency and community support.
