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NPDC community boards invest in life-saving defibrillators

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PUBLISHED: 21 MAY 2026
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Lifesaving emergency medical treatment will be closer than ever this year as the NPDC’s community boards invest in more public defibrillators. ​

Inglewood, Clifton and Waitara community boards have fully funded five new automated external defibrillators (AEDs), which use electricity to jumpstart a normal heartbeat in the event of a sudden cardiac arrest.​

The new defibrillators – outside the TET Stadium offices and the clubrooms in Karo Park in Inglewood, Tarata Hall, Waitara Golf Course, and Ōkoki Outdoor Education Centre near Urenui – bring the total number of community board-funded AEDs in public places in the district to nine.​

“The rollout of AEDs shows that our community boards are putting the health and wellbeing of our communities first. These are modern defibrillators with clear instructions and designed so that anyone can use them in an emergency,” said Clifton Community Board Chair Murray Seamark.​

“Every year about 2,000 New Zealanders experience a sudden cardiac arrest. The rapid use of a defibrillator within three to five minutes can increase the chances of survival by over 70 percent. There are other AEDs around, but they’re not always accessible to the public.”​

If a person is unresponsive and not breathing normally, that could be a sign that they’ve suffered a cardiac arrest. The AED will talk you through the steps and tell you if a shock is required.​

The cost of each defibrillator is about $3,500 and is covered by each community board’s $150,000 discretionary fund.​

The AEDs are housed in bright yellow cabinets that are accessible to the public around the clock.​

All the AEDs have been supplied by Hato Hone St John and will be registered on the nationwide AED Locations website (aedlocations.co.nz), which is also available on the AED Locations mobile app.​

At a glance:​

  • NPDC has five community boards to give our smaller communities a voice on issues that matter to them.  They are:​
    • Clifton Community Board ​
    • Inglewood Community Board ​
    • Kaitake Community Board ​
    • Puketapu-Bell Block Community Board ​
    • Waitara Community Board ​
  • Each board has four members and $150,000 each year to fund small projects in their community.  ​
  • Every three years each board creates a Community Board Plan to set out the issues and aspirations and to identify where resources are needed.​
  • Find out how to get in touch with your local community board on Community board members.​

Caption: Clifton Community Board Deputy Chair Tyla Nickson with the new defibrillator in the yellow box at Camp Ōkoki.

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Page last updated: 09:31am Thu 21 May 2026

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