111 emergency service
If you need help from the police, the fire service, or you need an ambulance, dial 111 and the emergency operator will connect you to the right place.
When you’re in an emergency
Call 111 if you cannot decide whether your situation is an emergency.
Help with deciding who to call
Examples of emergencies
Police examples of emergencies
Police emergencies — example situations for a 111 call
Ask for the police when:
people are injured or in danger
there is a serious, immediate or imminent risk to life or property
a crime is being or has just been committed, and the offenders are still at the scene or have just left.
Fire examples of emergencies
Fire emergencies — example situations for a 111 call
Ask for the fire service if you:
have fire or smoke in your home — get out and stay out
see or smell a fire in your home or another building
witness a car crash, including car fires and when people are trapped
notice a gas leak from a broken pipe — move away from the leak to where there is no smell
or your property are in serious danger from storm damage.
Medical examples of emergencies
Medical emergencies needing an ambulance — example situations for a 111 call
Ask for an ambulance if someone has:
difficulty breathing
chest pain — this can feel like a weight or a squeezing feeling in your chest
fainted or gone unconscious
a life-threatening mental health situation
had a stroke — they may have suddenly gone weak, had their vision change, become dizzy or have trouble talking
severe pain anywhere
bleeding that will not stop.
Non-emergency contacts
If you’re not in an emergency, there are ways to contact each service for situations that are not urgent.
Police contacts for non-emergencies
To report non-emergency situations to the NZ Police, use either:
Fire contacts for non-emergencies
To report fire-related situations that do not need an immediate response, either:
Medical contacts for non-emergencies
For situations that are not urgent, call Healthline for advice. It’s free and its healthcare professionals can help you decide, for example, if you should see your regular doctor or go to a hospital.
Healthline — Te Whatu Ora — Health NZ
Mental health contacts
If you’re struggling with your mental health, contact for:
What happens when you call 111
If it’s safe to talk, tell the 111 operator which main service you need, either:
More than 1 emergency service provider might respond, depending on your situation.
Not safe to talk? Stay on the line.
When you stay on the 111 call without talking, your call gets sent to a menu — press ‘55’ if you need emergency assistance, or any key if you’re on a landline. This sends your call to the police.
During the call
Listen and follow the prompts of the emergency services call-taker.
Some questions might be repeated, so the call-taker can make sure they have the right information.
If the situation needs an immediate response, help may be sent while the call-taker asks you more questions.
Police emergency call
If you can, get to safety before calling.
On the call — police emergency
On the call, you’ll be asked:
what your emergency is — what is happening that needs the police to attend?
where the emergency is — where do the police need to go?how long ago it happened
what is happening now
to confirm your name, address and contact details.
Examples of questions you might also be asked
Where is the person causing concern now?
Do they have weapons?
If that person has left, which way did they go and how did they leave?
Who are they? What do they look like and how are they dressed?
What’s the number plate and description of their vehicle?
What else is happening?
More information — NZ Police
111 Police emergency — NZ Police
Fire emergency call
When there’s fire or smoke, get out and stay out — get to safety.
On the call — fire emergency
On the call, you’ll be asked:
where the emergency is
what is happening
for your nearest intersection or cross-street
which town or city is nearest to the incident
if rural, what the name of the property is
more questions by the call-taker, depending on what is happening.
Examples of questions about the nature of the incident
What is on fire?
Are there hazardous substances?
Is anyone else involved, injured or trapped by the fire?
Other questions about the incident, as the call-taker gets more information.
More information — Fire and Emergency NZ
What to do if you see a fire — Fire and Emergency NZ
Ambulance emergency call
Be safe: if there are any hazards, try to get away from them before calling.
On the call — ambulance emergency
Based on the nature of your call being either an accident or emergency, you’ll be asked for the:
exact address of the emergency confirmation of the phone number you’re calling from — if you have an extension number, give that too
details of exactly what happened
answers to questions about the person needing care.
Examples of questions about the person needing care
Are you with the patient?
How old is the patient?
Is the patient awake?
Is the patient breathing?
These questions allow the emergency ambulance service to prioritise their response to the most life-threatening incidents.
More information — ambulance services
Give the exact address on emergency calls
The more information you can give about the emergency’s location, the better. Try to give the:
house number
street name
nearest intersection
suburb and city — or your Rural Address Property Identification (RAPID) number if you have one
if you’re on the move, give as many details as you can, such as street names, well-known buildings, bridges and geographical features.
Accessibility options for 111 emergencies
Use either teletypewriter (TTY ) or ‘111 TXT’. These services are for people who have hearing or speech difficulties.
TTY option
If you have a phone with TTY , call 0800 16 16 16 (Deaf emergency).
TTY users — NZ Police
111 TXT option
If you have difficulty hearing or talking on the phone, register to use the emergency texting service, called ‘111 TXT ’.
Register for 111 TXT
More information about 111 TXT
Check the NZ Police website for information about:
Overseas emergencies
New Zealand embassies can help you if something goes wrong while you’re outside NZ .
Emergency help when you’re overseas
Teach children about calling 111
Download these fun activities which teach children when to make 111 emergency calls.
111 emergency resources for children — NZ Police
More information — emergency call services
Spark NZ operates the platform for answering initial 111 calls, before sending emergency calls to the right service. Visit the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE ) website for more information about emergency call services.
Emergency call services — MBIE
Utility links and page information
Last updated 29 February 2024
