Hato Hone St John First Union members chalking ambulances with messages. Photo: Supplied / First Union
Hato Hone St John says Saturday's rolling strikes by ambulance drivers took place without any harm to patients.
The 24-hour action by members of FIRST Union and the Ambulance Association finished at 4am on Sunday.
St John deputy chief executive Dan Ohs said the ambulance service was helped by people with non urgent matters who found their own transport to a medical facility or hospital, or called their doctor, pharmacy or Healthline.
"Despite a challenging day, Hato Hone St John has not yet identified any adverse incidents or patient harm resulting from strikes throughout Saturday," Ohs told RNZ late on Saturday night.
"Our focus throughout the day was to maintain a safe level of service for New Zealanders and we would like to thank our own people who have contributed to this effort."
The strike followed similar industrial action earlier in the week, the first ever carried out by ambulance workers. Ohs said about 300 ambulance workers and call-centre staff took part in the Tuesday strike, and about 250 on Saturday.
Like other essential health services, ambulance services are covered by the Life Preserving Services framework, which required ambulance providers and unions to work constructively to maintain core services that prevent a serious threat to life or permanent disability during strike action.
Unions have warned more strike action was likely, unless the government came up with more cash for ambulance services.
Ohs said the focus next was on "getting back to the bargaining table next week to discuss moving forward with our unions".
The charity would also be seeking more funding from the government in 2026, rather than relying on donations to pay its bills. At present, about 83 percent is taxpayer-funded.
"The rest is funded by fundraising, part-charge, and commercial activities," Ohs said.
"We are grateful for what we have received from our purchasers in recent years, which has enabled more frontline staff. However, the cost to run the ambulance service has been significantly affected by high inflation and increased demand.
"We remain focused on getting our people back to work and moving towards 100 percent operational funding."
