After-Hours & Emergency Care
📌 In a life-threatening emergency, always call 111.
At Kaikōura Healthcare, we offer 24/7 urgent care for accidents and medical emergencies. Our team is trained to assess, treat, stabilise, and—if necessary—arrange transfer to a major hospital via ambulance or helicopter.
Urgent Medical Care in Kaikōura
During business hours (Monday–Friday)
📞 Call our clinic at 03 319 3501. Our reception team will arrange for you to see a doctor or nurse immediately or organise a callback for assessment.
After-hours & weekends
📞 Call our clinic at 03 319 3501. Your call will be directed to a nurse at the triage centre, who will:
- Offer telephone advice
- Arrange for you to see the on-call doctor
- Organise ambulance transport if required
Please note: Charges apply for urgent accident and medical care, including after-hours services.
Costs of Urgent & After-Hours Care
In New Zealand, healthcare is not free, but it is subsidised for:
✔ Enrolled patients (for medical consultations during normal hours)
✔ All patients under ACC (for injury-related consultations)
💡 Providing medical services after-hours incurs additional costs.
Fees for Enrolled Patients
✔ Under 14 years → No co-payment required
✔ 14 years & over → Fees depend on:
- Medical vs. ACC visit (ACC subsidises accident-related visits)
- Community Services Card (CSC) holders (discounted rates apply)
- Time of visit (higher fees apply after 5:30pm weekdays, after 2pm weekends, and public holidays)
Fees for Casual Patients (Non-enrolled but eligible for public healthcare)
✔ Fees depend on → the age of the patient, time and length of visit, ACC vs medical.
📌 If you have never been seen by us before, you must provide proof of eligibility for publicly funded health services (e.g., passport & visa). If no proof is available, a non-resident fee applies.
Fees for Visitors to New Zealand
Visitors are welcome to access healthcare at Kaikōura Healthcare. However, different rules apply for non-residents:
✔ Primary care (GP visits) must be paid in full
✔ Enrolling is only available to NZ citizens, permanent residents, or those with a valid work visa (2+ years)
💡 Visitors from Australia and the UK may be eligible for subsidies for emergency care under a reciprocal agreement.
📌 Ambulance transport costs can be high for visitors—we strongly recommend having medical travel insurance.
Payment for Urgent & After-Hours Care
✔ All casual & non-resident patients must provide payment or credit card details on arrival (unless it is a medical emergency).
✔ There may be other charges after you have been seen, e.g. swabs, blood tests.
✔Payment is expected after care has been delivered.