St John is saying a big 'thank you' to business advisory and accounting firm Crowe Horwath, who have purchased a much needed Toyota Land Cruiser for use in the Wakatipu area.
The new vehicle has been adapted to act as a 4WD Ambulance Response Vehicle, and was officially launched on Friday, 22 May, at a special function at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside.
This is the second such vehicle for the Wakatipu area. The first was launched in 2013 and is based in Glenorchy. Such response vehicles are designed to get ambulance personnel to areas which a standard St John ambulance could not reach, including unsealed roads and off-road river crossings.
Duncan Fea, Managing Principal from Crowe Horwath says, “We wanted to support this community initiative because we live here – this is our community and we want to know our friends, family, colleagues and community are able to call on the right resources should they ever need to.
It’s also about our corporate responsibility. We’re a team of 50 at Crowe Horwath in Central Otago, and we wanted to support the wider community in a meaningful way. When we heard that St John couldn’t provide a 4WD Ambulance for the regions ski fields this season because of terrain and older vehicles not able to withstand the rough roads, we knew we had found a meaningful way to support our community.”
Debbie Pipson, who is St John Fundraising Marketing and Communications Manager, says the support of Crowe Horwath for this vehicle is special. "Community initiatives like this between St John and the business community are very important, as they allow St John to provide a certain level of care to the community.
"Without the support of organisations such as Crowe Horwath, St John would not be able to provide the continued care we currently do in places such as Wakatipu. Their support is very valued by us.”
Ms Pipson continues: "This initiative between Crowe Horwath and St John will be of huge benefit to the community, especially those who live, work or play in the more remote geographic parts of the area. We need to have the best resources, and this vehicle is one of them."