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Call Healthline for free: 0800 611 116

If you or someone you care for is unwell, you can call Healthline for free, expert health advice from nurses and paramedics.

Healthline is available any time of the day or night, every day of the week. 

The team are happy to help you with even the smallest concern, there’s no need to wait until things get very bad before you call.

Call Healthline:

  • if you are worried or unsure about your health or someone else's health 
  • for advice about your situation and help on what to do next
  • if you do not have a GP or cannot get to one 
  • if you need advice about your medicine.

Call Healthline: 0800 611 116 (external link)

Choose the right support for you

  • You can choose to speak with a Māori clinician if you are calling between 8am and 8pm.
  • Interpreter services are available if you would like to talk in your own language.
  • NZ Relay support is available for callers who are Deaf, hearing impaired, Deafblind or speech impaired.

Speak with a Māori clinician (internal link)

Interpreter services and NZ Relay support (internal link)

What happens when you call Healthline

When you call Healthline they will ask you about the concern you are calling about, and any symptoms. They might ask you to send them a picture or a video of what you have called about to help them understand.

They can assess your symptoms and give advice on what you should do next. This could be to:

  • take care of yourself or the person you are ringing about, at home — Healthline will give you advice on how to do this.
  • go to see your regular doctor
  • keep an eye on symptoms and call back if they get worse
  • go to your closest Urgent Care Centre or hospital emergency department.

They can help find healthcare services near you for the care you need, for example:

  • an after-hours GP service
  • a hospital emergency department
  • a pharmacy
  • an after out-of-hours dental surgery.

Healthline can also connect you with an ambulance service if needed. Ambulances are free in the Wellington region. In the rest of the country, St John charges patients for some types of ambulance call outs.

Ambulance part charges — St John (external link)

Choose to talk to a Māori clinician

From 8am to 8pm you can choose to speak with a Māori clinician. They will kōrero with you to understand your health concerns and support you and your whānau to access the care you need in your rohe.

The clinical service is delivered with an understanding of Te Ao Māori and tikanga, for an experience that makes sense for whānau Māori.

Communication support

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Interpreters are available for up to 150 languages and the Healthline team can arrange to have an interpreter on the call.

When you phone Healthline, tell them you would like an interpreter and the language you would like to speak in.

The Healthline team can engage with the NZ Relay Services to support you. NZ Relay Services are only available for limited hours.

NZ Relay Services (external link)

Request a callback

If you do not need help or advice straight away, instead of calling Healthline, you can ask them to call you.

To do this go to the Healthline website, enter a few details, and a Healthline nurse or paramedic will call you back.

Request a callback — Healthline (external link)

Service, privacy and your rights

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Healthline is funded by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora. The service is provided by Whakarongorau Aotearoa — New Zealand Telehealth Services.

Contact — Whakarongorau Aotearoa (external link)

Callers to Healthline have the same rights as other consumers of health services.

Read the Whakarongorau privacy policies on their website.

Privacy — Whakarongorau Aotearoa (external link)

Other over-the-phone support

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Get support for COVID, flu, measles and whooping cough vaccines. Available 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.

Call: 0800 28 29 26

For support for the Disability Community with COVID testing, face mask exemptions, managing COVID at home and any general health concerns.

A person with experience or knowledge of disability will answer your call 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. Outside those times, calls are answered by a trained member of the Healthline team.