AED for the National Hockey Stadium in Wellington

Karori Junior Hockey Club is working on behalf of Wellington Hockey Association to raise funds for the installation of an AED at the National Hockey Stadium. The New Zealand resuscitation council and other international sports governance bodies recommend AED’s for sports facilities. While you will generally find an AED at most sports venues in NZ, we have yet to have one placed at the NHS.

We want everyone involved in training, playing or supporting hockey to be safe up at our National Hockey Stadium. Sudden cardiac arrest is the leading cause of death in young athletes and adults. In NZ you are five times more likely to die of a cardiac arrest than in a road accident. AED machines massively improve the chance of survival in a cardiac event.

We know the Wellington hockey community will support us and will help us raise the funds quickly so we can work with WHA to install an AED. If all involved in the sport gave just a few dollars we can quickly achieve our target.

An AED or Automatic External Defibrillator is a portable medical device that automatically assesses a patient’s heart rhythm. The device assesses whether defibrillation of the heart is needed and then if required administers an electric shock to the heart through the chest wall. The machines are easy to use with clear voice prompts to guide a user through the process.

Initial costs are suggesting an AED will cost in the vicinity of $3 – $5,000. We are aiming to raise $5,000 so whatever storage option is appropriate at the NHS can be purchased alongside a pre-paid service plan.

WHA Chief Executive and Board Chair support our clubs effort in leading this fundraiser on behalf of WHA and our hockey community.