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Staff and Long Service Awards 2025
Staff and Long Service Awards 2025
28 April 2026
Long Service and Staff Awards 2025
On Friday 20 March, we gathered for our annual staff awards and long service awards. This is a special celebration, with the staff awards recognising those who live our values and the difference they make to patients, communities, staff, and Wellington Free. While the long service awards celebrate the ongoing dedication and commitment by long-serving employees to us and our communities. Meet this year's deserving winners.
Act with Kindness - Graduate Paramedic Jack
Act with Kindness | Aroha atu, aroha mai. This award recognises those who demonstrate the value of manaakitanga (showing respect), are gracious and kind in all their interactions and treat people with dignity and respect, both inside and outside Wellington Free.
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“Jack consistently makes hundreds, if not thousands, of small acts of kindness. From giving up his free time to help staff study for an exam they were nervous about to being a reliable listening ear, all those who interact with Jack feel seen and heard. Every day, his kindness brings different teams together. Jack has made a huge impact on all the teams that he interacts with, including the patient transfer service and emergency ambulance service. Within the patient transfer service, he’s described as ‘part of the glue that holds us together’.” |
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Be Authentic, Original and True - Clinical Paramedic Advisor Charlotte
Be Authentic, Original and True | Mā pango mā whero ka oti te mahi. This award recognises someone’s ability to respect and champion diversity and inclusivity. They help foster a respectful and safe environment that empowers everyone to feel confident and comfortable in bringing their true, authentic selves to work.
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“Charlotte is kind and caring. She defines inclusivity and creates a sense of belonging on her shift. She has an excellent ability to build professional relationships with colleagues and fosters ways to make everyone feel included. Charlotte puts her own personal time and effort into events for the benefit of her teammates and the cohesiveness it creates. This includes everything from making sure a staff member’s birthday is celebrated to organising dog walks, run clubs and quiz nights which she uses to celebrate team members’ recent accomplishments and more.” |
Keep Getting Better, Together - Paramedic Gus
Keep Getting Better, Together | Whāia e koe te iti Kahurangi. This award acknowledges someone that’s committed to embracing change through continuous improvement, innovation and collaboration. They’re dedicated to working and growing together to drive significant, positive contributions to our organisation.
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“Since the moment he arrived, Gus has been passionate about encouraging learning. He puts a huge amount of his own personal time into planning and running inclusive, hands-on, and supportive training events for frontline staff because he believes in helping the team grow and improve together. A natural leader and mentor, Gus is always respectful, approachable, and professional. Incredibly generous with his knowledge, he creates a safe, supportive learning environment and fosters a culture where improvement is both encouraged and celebrated. His actions reflect a clear dedication to helping our organisation grow together.” |
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Lead by Example - Patient Transfer Service Team Leader Phil
Lead by Example | Mahia te mahi, hei painga mō te iwi. This award values a passionate person who embodies Wellington Free’s values and standards through their actions. They use their knowledge, expertise and exemplary behaviour to inspire and support others, and help guide and influence better outcomes for all.
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“Phil embodies this value by leading with a big heart and putting people first. Phil often stays on station after his shift ends to have conversations with staff, providing emotional support, coaching them or sitting down for a chat, ensuring that they’re safe, well and feel valued. Thanks to his expansive knowledge and quick thinking, Phil's actions directly result in patients receiving the care they need, improving outcomes for patients, their whānau and community. His time, knowledge, expertise, and focus on people directly results in better outcomes for patients, patient transfer officers and the wider organisation.” |
Employee of the Year - Intensive Care Paramedic Stuart
The Wellington Free Ambulance Employee of the Year is outstanding in all areas of their work. They show unwavering commitment, passion and energy while embodying the core values and behaviours of Wellington Free in all that they do. They consistently go the extra mile.
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“Stuart is known for working incredibly hard in his role of intensive care paramedic, mentor and trainer. Recently, he’s been working tirelessly to provide trauma training for other agencies, including the police, contributing to developing Wellington Free’s trauma care and better outcomes for patients and communities. Stuart’s contributions have had a positive and lasting impact across Wellington Free by strengthening partnerships, enhancing trauma education, and improving confidence and capability within the wider team, all of which positively impact on patient care.” |
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Long Service Awards
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Our Long Service Awards acknowledge people reaching a range of milestones. From those individuals who’ve made a decade’s worth of difference at Wellington Free Ambulance, to those who’ve proudly served the community for 25 years and more - including over 45 years! Collectively, this year we acknowledged almost 800 years of service to Wellington Free Ambulance. 10 years of service: 15 years of service: 20 years of service: 25 years of service: 30 years of service 35 years of service 40 years of service 45 years of service |
Photo credit: Mark Tantrum