In most towns, the first recognised form of ambulance transport was the Ashford litter, which took the form of a stretcher mounted on a two-wheeled cart (a preserved example of an Ashford litter is on display in the entrance foyer at the Christchurch Order of St John building).

By 1889, Christchurch had four examples based at the police and fire stations, the main railway station and the tram depot respectively and proved to be remarkably well equipped compared to some towns. In 1892 the Auckland area had reported that their equipment consisted of one stretcher and a set of bandages but by 1903 this had expanded to nine litters. Wellington purchased their second Ashford in 1897 while Dunedin also relied on two litters based at the railway and fire stations.

As roads were improved and passenger transport was modernised, the demand for a more “civilised” form of transport to hospital grew rapidly. However, a horse drawn ambulance cost in excess of £100 which was well beyond the reach of most towns. Christchurch received its first example in February 1895, but it had not occurred to anyone that a horse would be required to pull it and this was not arranged until after its arrival. Wellington ordered a Furley horse ambulance from the United Kingdom in 1900, which was then followed by an ambulance brougham in 1909 and Dunedin also purchased a horse-drawn vehicle with their locally manufactured carriage arriving in 1903.

With the arrival of the motor car, again price deterred many towns from upgrading their equipment for many years. The purchase of a motor ambulance was first proposed in Christchurch in 1908 but it was not until 1917 that the first example – a locally assembled Hudson Six – arrived with the purchase price being funded completely from donations by local horse racing clubs. Their next vehicle – a Studebaker – was delivered in 1918 but it was not until 1921 that the last horse-drawn vehicle was removed from service and sold. Dunedin received two vehicles in 1919 but it was not until 1921 that Auckland’s first motor ambulance entered service. It soon justified itself transporting more than one hundred and fifty patients in the first year but it was not until 1926 that Auckland had two motor vehicles – a Buick and a Daimler.

The early motor ambulances were very primitive and uncomfortable, but the 1930’s saw the arrival of more modern vehicles such as the Humber Pullman, which could carry up to four patients although it also proved very expensive to run and maintain. As a result, St John in Christchurch formed a committee to decide on the next type of vehicle to be used in the city. Their eventual decision to order the International C1 chassis from Australia proved to be very wise as during the Second World War it became virtually impossible to obtain any British assembled vehicles. Following the War the International remained the vehicle of choice and many examples were ordered. Other areas also moved away from British vehicles and as a result Ford, Dodge and Chrysler ambulances gradually entered service around the country.

In the 1950’s, a brief return to British vehicles was made with the arrival of the Austin Sheerline and a few were ordered although again like the Humber they proved to be very expensive to run. Consequently, many towns made a quick return to the proven International chassis with locally built bodywork by firms such as Steel Brothers or the Oamaru firm of Tempero’s.

In 1969 Bedford released the CF van and New Zealand reputedly became the first country in the world to put an example into service as an ambulance when St. John in Blenheim placed a modified van in service in 1970. However initially the concept did not catch on and it was not until 1974 that the next example arrived when Wellington Free Ambulance imported a fully built example from the United Kingdom. The vehicle was ideal but efforts by Wellington to import further examples were thwarted by customs regulations so the decision was made to build their own using locally built bodywork. The first example arrived in 1975 from Fairfax Fibreglass (later to become Fairfax Industries – a firm still actively involved in the local production of ambulance coachwork).

In 1976 Wellington Free Ambulance sent a Bedford around the South Island for evaluation. While much admired, many regions continued to order the International and other established brands. However, toward the end of the 1970’s International announced that it would no longer be able to supply a chassis suitable for ambulance work. Ford stepped in with the F250model and a number of examples were built. A new entrant to the bodybuilding scene saw caravan manufacturer Cresta Craft successfully tender for much of this work.

During the late 1970’s Auckland decided to standardise their fleet on the CF Bedford and when Auckland offered Christchurch the option to purchase one of the vehicles it had on order, the offer was quickly accepted. Following delivery, the new ambulance proved to be so successful that Christchurch also made the decision to base its fleet around the CF. However, it was felt that the tender of NZ$8,0000 for the bodywork by Cresta Craft was too expensive so the contract was eventually given to Midland Coach and Panel Works although due to a lack of skilled staff, delivery was often delayed for many months.

For many years the Bedford was virtually the only chassis purchased for ambulance work although it was noted that there were some deficiencies in the design. Early examples had engine and cooling problems but the upgraded CF280P model (introduced around 1985) overcame most of these. However, in 1986 ambulance providers received notice through General Motors New Zealand that the CF chassis would no longer be produced (sufficient supplies meant that the last example was finally delivered in 1988 by Fairfax Industries – a Life Support Unit for St. John in Auckland). From 1970, more than 400 examples had been built while International had supplied just over 300 vehicles before their withdrawal from the market. With both manufacturers gone, ambulance providers now had to try and find a replacement chassis to meet future needs.

General Motors initially suggested the American built Chevrolet C30, but following world-wide investigations, the national Ambulance Advisory Transport Board in 1988 came up with a shortlist of two suitable replacements - the Ford Transit and another Chevrolet model, the Sierra. In the end the decision was made to recommend the Sierra mainly because at the time Ford could not offer an automatic option. The first example entered service in 1989 and proved to be very popular with many more being ordered all across the country. St. John Auckland did experiment in 1989 with two Ford F250 examples fitted with Australian bodywork by Superior Industries. Waikato also tried two alternative vehicles – firstly an Isuzu NPR300 and then a Mitsubishi example but neither was a success.

From 1991 to 1994, the most popular choice of chassis was the Leyland DAF (and following their restructuring, the subsequent LDV brand). Operators could choose from either a 2-litre diesel or 3.5-litre V8 petrol while Fairfax Industries could supply a standard design body. Many were ordered all across the country although some areas did experiment with the Chevrolet G30 model. The first Ford Transit entered service in 1995 and although cheaper to purchase than most other models they have not proved anywhere near as popular as the Chevrolet or LDV vehicles.

After the war ambulances still remained fairly unsophisticated with basic equipment often consisting of just a canvas stretcher, some bandages and perhaps an oxygen supply for the patient. Early trials of radio sets were unsuccessful and it was not until the 1950’s that Christchurch and Auckland decided to equip their vehicles with radios.

Prior to the 1940’s, the only warning device permitted was the standard horn with the option fitting of a bell allowed. In 1948 approval was given for the fitting of sirens and at the same time suggestions were made that the use of a flashing light on vehicles also be considered although it took many years before the first example was fitted. Around 1975 new electronic sirens became available and began to be fitted to vehicles. At the same time the New Zealand Government approved the use of green flashing lights by emergency doctors on their vehicles. The first rotating warning beacon to be fitted to an ambulance was placed on a Dodge for St. John in Hastings in 1973. Hastings also introduced the first ambulance with a full width light bar in 1977.

From an early stage ambulances were generally painted white although there were a few exceptions. In 1975 St. John decided to place a six inch reflectorised red band edged in blue down the side of each vehicle (these markings are still visible on a large number of the St. John fleet). Up until then St John had three different colour schemes for their vehicles – white, grey and white or even black and white! Most modern vehicles have high visibility reflective markings although in many areas there is still a lack of a unified livery. A visit to the Christchurch area Headquarters of St. John will see front line ambulances in three different sets of markings!

The cost of putting a new vehicle on the road can be frightening. From the 1890’s horse drawn carriage at £100, by 1978 it cost $22,000 to purchase a fully fitted V8 International. Today, a basic ambulance chassis such as an LDV will cost approximately $65,000 with the bodywork adding up to another $50,000 to the total cost. Wellington Free Ambulance have raised the $800,000 required to replace six of their fleet with new 6.0litre V8 Chevrolet Silverado vehicles while St. John have purchased six four wheel drive Chevrolet ambulances at an estimated cost of $180,000 each.

With the opening up of ambulance services to competitive tender, a small number of new entrants to the industry have emerged. While those involved mainly in patient transfers have gone for modified vans such as the Toyota Hiace, other large providers such as NZ Ambulance Services have gone with more conventional vehicles such as the Transit. In a bid to reduce response times in congested cities such as Auckland, rapid response units based on motorcycle or station wagons such as the Ford Falcon or Holden Commodore have been introduced.

The future shape of the New Zealand ambulance is still to be determined. Some regions have experimented by putting into service the Mercedes Sprinter chassis with overseas coachwork from companies such as Christian Meisen Ltd. of Germany and these are very competitive both in terms of price and performance with locally assembled vehicles such as the Transit and LDV. The LDV with Fairfax bodywork has remained very popular while other interesting options such as Timaru’s Ford Transit with Wade bodywork (a Hamilton based company) are also being delivered. Recently what is believed to be the last LDV to be ordered by the Order of St John in Christchurch was delivered and is the first and probably the only LDV in the area with Wade bodywork. A Fiat Ducato has also been delivered and it will be interesting to see what type of chassis is chosen for future examples.

One thing is certain, that the level of service provided by all operators will remain at the already high standard no matter what.