About us

On Friday 8 August over 100 invited guests attended the dawn blessing, led by local iwi Rangitāne, followed by ribbon cutting.

The building was declared open by Community Ambassador for the Station, Bob Francis alongside Cornerstone Partner Julie Nevett and daughter Isabella Morrison representing The Lloyd Morrison Foundation. Also cutting the ribbon were transformational donors Christine and Baz representing the Fenix Foundation who made the first $1 million donation to the Station and donated the Fenix Flyer Ambulance in memory of their late Uncle Donald who founded the Fenix Trust.

The celebrations continued on Saturday 9 August, when we welcomed over 1,500 people to the community open day. As well as touring the new station and seeing inside an ambulance, the community enjoyed learning CPR and how to use an AED (automated external defibrillator), alongside burgers and sausages thanks to the Rapid Relief Team and coffee and hot chocolate thanks to Kereru Coffee. Hon Matt Doocey joined us with local MP Mike Butterick also attending.  Minister Doocey paid tribute to the tremendous work of ambulance service in the community as well as the philanthropic supporters who made the building possible. 

From 2023 to now: realising the Wairarapa Ambulance Station

The Build Wairarapa Station campaign was launched in January 2023 with the ambitious goal of raising $8.5 million to fully fund the state-of-the-art Station. Funded as a partnership between Wellington Free Ambulance, the Government and the community, the Wellington Free Ambulance Trust contributed $3 million, the Government $1.2 million and the community donated a huge $4.3 million.

Fundraising came from a wide range of sources. This included two transformational $1 million gifts from the Fenix Foundation and Sir Peter Jackson and Dame Fran Walsh; grant funding; and community fundraising at various amounts.

The Build Wairarapa Station campaign and project has operated consistently on the principle of ‘for the community, by the community’. This means that, as far as possible, locally based services and businesses have been used across all aspects of the build. This has included the lead contractor, QBL, and subcontractors, sign writers, soft furnishing suppliers, cabinet makers, garden supplies, steel manufacturing and window manufacturers. 

Why it’s so important

Wairarapa Ambulance Station in Masterton is unique to the area - the IL4 rating means it’s built to withstand a higher level of seismic shaking than usual structures to ensure the Station remains operational in the event of a significant earthquake and can be used as a base for all Wellington Free Ambulance services or Civil Defence response.

The new Station is the workplace for around 30 local Wellington Free Ambulance staff, including all emergency ambulance staff and patient transfer service staff, giving them a modern, fit-for-purpose workplace that meets their needs and ensures their comfort during their shifts. 

Thanks to the dedicated Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat Training Centre, community CPR training can now be delivered on-site to any group wanting to learn this vital lifesaving skill. 

Since the start of 2025 alone, Wellington Free Ambulance’s impact in the Wairarapa includes:

• Training over 500 people through 27 local Lloyd Morrison Foundation Heartbeat CPR Training programmes. 
• Installing 17 AEDs across the region – allowing the community 24/7 access to a potentially lifesaving defibrillator.
• Ensuring the 74 AEDs across the Wairarapa are in good working order – checking and changing batteries, etc. These AEDs are in some of the most remote rural locations in the Wairarapa – Tora, for example.
• Responding to 3,925 emergency ambulance incidents across the Wairarapa. 2,089 of these responses were in Masterton, 909 across Carterton and Greytown and the remainder across South Wairarapa.
• Completing 769 patient transfers taking people to vital medical appointments and treatments from across Wairarapa. 

The new Wairarapa Station will support the lifesaving and life-changing work of Wellington Free in the Wairarapa. The first night shift was completed on Tuesday 12 August from the brand-new station and all reports indicate the crews couldn’t be happier with their permanent base!

Thank you, Wairarapa

What ensured Wairarapa Ambulance Station became reality was the contribution from the community, with more than $4.3 million fundraised over two years.

A heartfelt thank you to everyone who contributed to build Wairarapa Station over the past two years. From local businesses, grant makers, and community fundraising events to individuals making donations - the contributions have been impactful and humbling. You can see just a snapshot of people who supported us on the Build Wairarapa Station website.

The new Wairarapa Ambulance Station: built for the community, by the community.