Strengthening the story of a Wellington institution.

Harnessing data for better community outcomes.

While Wellington Free Ambulance's vehicles may have evolved from Bedford Trucks to custom-built Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagens, its headquarters moved from Te Aro to Thorndon and its team expanded to over 400, there is one thing that has remained constant in its 95-year history.  

"Our vision from day one has always been to remain free," says General Manager of Fundraising and Communications, Claire Carruthers, "it was the mission of Founder, Sir Charles Norwood that our service should be as accessible as possible, and we will endeavour to keep it this way, forever." 

Wellington Free Ambulance's story started in 1927, when Norwood, Wellington's then Mayor, came across an injured man on Lambton. With the wait for medical help surpassing an hour, he sought to introduce a free ambulance service here as he had seen in his place of birth, New South Wales. Since then, tens of thousands of people have received the urgent, often lifesaving care they need; with Wellington Free Ambulance gaining a reputation for providing quality, efficient and reliable care for the people of Greater Wellington and Wairarapa.  

Data-driven operations 

Behind every Wellington Free Ambulance call out is a complex series of data points, which are collected, processed and analysed to ensure the best possible outcomes for patients and our communities. Variables such as the number of calls answered and triaged, the time to dispatch and transfer, average kilometres travelled and the proportion of patients treated at home are all aggregated to measure success, determine opportunities to streamline operations and help Wellington Free Ambulance to become 'the best little ambulance service in the world'.

By harnessing this data, there is also the opportunity to strengthen Wellington Free Ambulance's story, says Claire.

"We have a rich history, amazing donors and wonderful success stories from paramedics, patients and their whānau. Introducing social impact metrics provided an opportunity to add another layer to our storytelling." 

Enriching Wellington Free Ambulance's story 

To achieve this, Wellington Free Ambulance engaged local social impact organisation, ImpactLab with the goal of using this data to quantify social return on investment. "More and more, funders and donors are looking for hard facts on top of human stories," says Claire, "through this project, we will be able to accurately communicate just how far a dollar goes."

This is critical, says Claire, to maximise Wellington Free Ambulance's fundraising efforts, and realise its ultimate goal of remaining a free service, just as Sir Charles Norwood envisioned 95 years ago.  

Nikau Foundation was delighted to support this important project, providing a grant from the Kevin and Julia O'Connor Endowment Fund.