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As he handed a defibrillator to the local community marae in Silverdale, St John Northern Region community programmes manager Peter Hoskin said he hoped that it would never need to be used.
The defibrillator (or AED), valued at around $2500, was gifted to Te Herenga Waka o Orewa marae after St John was welcomed onto the marae with a powhiri on June 15. It is the 11th AED to be given to a marae in St John’s Northern Region, and it is hoped that a further 20 or 30 will be handed out in the next few years. Training around how to perform CPR and use the AED is also provided.
Altogether, St John has installed 50 of the life-saving machines in marae across NZ in recent years. The initiative came about after the release of a St John report which shows that Maori are disproportionately represented in cardiac arrest statistics and 20 times more likely to suffer a cardiac arrest than other ethnic groups.
Around 1800 people every year are treated for a cardiac arrest that occurs in the community and St John says survival is largely due to the quick actions of bystanders who initiate CPR and use an AED within the first few minutes.
An AED delivers a short, powerful electric shock to the heart, helping it to regain its natural rhythm. Automatic voice prompts guide the user through the procedure, enabling efficient CPR to be administered in conjunction with AED use.
The locations of AEDs around the country are registered at www.aedlocations.co.nz where you can search an online map to find your nearest AED.
