Southern Region ECCT

The Southern region encompasses the area south of the Waitaki River, including Stewart Island and the coastal waters.

We represent 28% of New Zealand’s land mass, and contain 8% of the resident population. A significant part of our inhabitants live in Central Otago and the area has a population growth rate of around 6% per annum. Additionally, well over a million tourists arrive annually to enjoy the bounties of the region including a multitude of adventure tourism and outdoor activities.

In this vast area which makes up the southern region, the ECCT is the only group where every agency involved in emergency care is represented at one forum thus providing stakeholders with unique communication and solution management opportunities. Demographics, geography and harsh winter climate combine to produce enormous and unique challenges to the delivery of emergency care.

Since the introduction of “Roadside to Bedside” in 2000 ECCT has been supporting the delivery of care in the south. Its roles are multiple – it will coordinate, mediate, take up a proactive role on behalf of stakeholders, research, instigate new initiatives, advise, monitor, and generally assist, to ensure the provision of emergency care service to the population is the best it can be.