Trust Horizon supports much-needed lighting upgrade for St John Whakatāne Station

The St John Ambulance Station in Whakatāne will soon be receiving a much-needed lighting upgrade, improving the safety and efficiency of the complex, thanks to a $9,728 grant from Trust Horizon.

Hato Hone St John Whakatāne is at the frontline of medical response in the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Over the past 12 months, they responded to approximately 3,955 incidences across Te Kaha, Waihau Bay, Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, and Ohope.  While the Hato Hone St John Whakatāne team does a fantastic job in delivering their lifesaving service, the lighting in the ambulance station is obsolete and requires significant upgrade. 

Jordan Retemeyer – Hato Hone St John Area Support Manager, Eastern Bay of Plenty says St John Whakatāne are greatly appreciative of the funding they received.

“Hato Hone St John is thrilled to receive a $9,728 grant from Trust Horizon to update the lighting in our Whakatāne ambulance station.  This will make a great improvement to our station, which services the Eastern Bay of Plenty including Te Kaha, Waihau Bay, Whakatāne, Edgecumbe, and Ohope.

The building was once a milk bottling plant with a lighting system that has meant using older style lights, which are due for replacement. The grant means we can not only upgrade our lighting throughout the station but also carry out some electrical work in the kitchen and buy a new fridge – benefitting our community groups who frequently use the space. In addition, we’ll be able to improve the building’s exterior lighting.

More efficient lighting means more efficient use of power, so as well as cosmetic and functional improvements for our team, it really does have a positive impact on the overall running of the station.

We’d like to say thank you for the fantastic support we’ve had from Trust Horizon in making this happen.”

Trust Horizon trustee Merrin Stables says the Trust is pleased St John Whakatāne reached out for support.

“St John Whakatāne provides an essential service for the whole of the Eastern Bay, helping people in times of crisis or need.  The work the staff and volunteers do provides immeasurable value to our community, and we are happy to help bring the ambulance station up to standard.”

Read more about Trust Horizon’s projects in our posts here. Or learn more about our funding here.