NZNO nurses, healthcare assistants and some midwives plan to strike from 9am on Wednesday 30 July to 9am on Thursday 31 July. Patient safety is our priority and our hospitals will remain open. Continue to attend all appointments unless we have contacted you directly to reschedule.
Christchurch Hospital
Riccarton Avenue
Christchurch 8140
If your health emergency is not life threatening, but you cannot wait for an appointment with your usual doctor or healthcare provider, go to an after hours or urgent medical centre. They can help you with things like bad cuts, sprains or breaks, minor head injuries, or if you are feeling really sick. You do not need an appointment but might have to wait.
There are pharmacies with extended hours next to each Christchurch after hours clinic.
Open 8am to 8pm every day.
4 Yaldhurst Road
Church Corner
Upper Riccarton
Christchurch
Phone: 03 343 3661
For general enquiries call 03 364 0640
For patient enquiries call 03 364 0600
Postal address:
Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora
Christchurch Hospital
Private Bag 4710
Christchurch 8140
Christchurch Hospital visiting hours are 11am to 1pm and 3pm to 8pm every day.
In the children's wards, parents, caregivers and whānau including siblings can visit anytime.
Visitors to the intensive care unit can also visit anytime, although visiting may be restricted to whānau and close friends.
The main entrance to Christchurch Hospital is on Riccarton Avenue.
Christchurch Hospital
Riccarton Avenue
Christchurch 8140
Many buses stop right outside Christchurch Hospital in both directions – towards and away from the city centre.
3 - Airport or Sheffield Crescent to Sumner
5 - Rolleston to New Brighton
7 - Halswell to Queenspark
8 - Port to Port (Airport to Lyttelton)
60 - Hillmorton to Southshore
80 - Lincoln to Parklands
81 - Lincoln to City direct
85 - Rolleston to City direct
86 - Darfield to City
91 - Rangiora to City direct
92 - Kaiapoi to City direct
For more information on bus routes, timetables and fares:
Getting to the hospital — Metro
The hospital shuttle service runs from the Deans Avenue car park, stopping at:
The shuttle runs every 15 minutes, between the hours of:
The shuttle service will pick you up and drop you off at the covered waiting area in the middle of the carpark. You may need to show the driver your parking ticket.
If you are bringing young children on the shuttle, you will need to bring their car seats. The shuttle can accommodate prams.
The shuttle is not suitable for wheelchairs — see our mobility parking information below.
National Travel Assistance helps people who need to travel long distances or travel frequently for health appointments.
St John volunteers run 3 shuttles in rural Canterbury, and a local shuttle service to help people get to their medical appointments in Christchurch.
The service is free but donations are accepted to help with running costs.
This shuttle is a short-distance service that runs multiple daily trips around the city. It operates Monday to Friday.
You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.
Phone: 0800 103 046
This service runs from Timaru to Christchurch, Monday to Friday. It is for people with medical appointments in Christchurch between 11am and 2pm.
The shuttle leaves from Timaru at 7:30am and departs Christchurch at 3pm (depending on numbers of passengers). It stops at:
You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.
Phone: 0800 103 046
This service operates Monday to Friday. It leaves Ashburton at 9am, Rakaia at 9.20am. The shuttle leaves Christchurch around 3pm.
Pick up and drop off points:
You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.
Phone: 0800 103 046
The St John North Canterbury health shuttle operates Monday to Friday for people with medical appointments starting after 10am and finishing before 3pm.
The St John shuttle stops at:
You need to book before 3pm, the day before your appointment.
Phone: 0800 103 046
If you are staying in hospital for several days, you may be eligible for a cheaper parking rate. Speak to the nurse or midwife in charge of your care about parking options.
There is bike parking outside main hospital entrances for staff and public use.
Bike parking is at the owner’s risk. We recommend locking your bike securely to a bike rack with a D-lock, not a thin loop of wire or combination lock.
Map of bike parks near Christchurch Hospital
If you have a mobility parking permit you can park in one of the designated mobility car parking spaces.
There are:
Map showing mobility parks around Christchurch Hospital
There is limited premium metered car parking in front of the emergency department outside the Waipapa building. This is the only public car parking available onsite. We encourage using this only for emergencies and patient drop-off and pick-up.
The first 30 minutes of parking is free (your license plate number must be entered into the parking meter to get 30 minutes free). After 30 minutes the charges will be:
There is a free shuttle service to the hospital from the Deans Avenue car park. This carpark is at 25 Deans Avenue, near the Moorhouse Avenue end of Deans Avenue. See more information on the shuttle service above.
Tū Waka-Waipapa is a 463-space car park, located at the corner of St Asaph Street and Hagley Avenue, a 4 to 5 minute walk from Christchurch Hospital.
There is limited car parking near Christchurch Hospital including on-street metered parking and paid parking lots in surrounding streets. Christchurch City Council has a map showing parking options near the hospital.
Parking map — Christchurch City Council
Hot meals, sandwiches, healthy snacks, cold and hot beverages. Cash and cashless payments are accepted.
Located on level 1, Food Services Building.
Open every day, 9am to 7:30pm.
Cabinet food, sandwiches, cold and hot beverages. Cash and cashless payments are accepted.
Located in the Parkside Building main foyer.
Open Monday to Friday, 7am to 3pm. Closed public holidays.
Cabinet food, sandwiches, cold and hot beverages, premium coffee and tea. Cashless transactions only.
Located on the ground floor in the main foyer of the Waipapa Building.
Open Monday to Friday, 7am to 3:30pm. Closed public holidays.
Premium coffee, grab’n’go food options, giftware and other necessities for a stay in hospital. Cashless transactions only.
Located on the ground floor in the main foyer of the Waipapa building.
Open every day, 8am to 8pm.
Cabinet food, sandwiches, cold and hot beverages. Cashless transactions only.
Located in the foyer of Christchurch Women's Hospital.
Open Monday to Friday, 8am to 2pm. Closed public holidays.
Food and drink vending machines are near lifts in these locations:
Great Escape Cafe, level 3, Food Services Building
Located in the main foyer of Christchurch Hospital.
Opening hours:
Free public Wi-Fi internet access is available in most hospital areas.
To use the free Wi-Fi service:
Note:
content accessed by people within our facilities on their own network is subject to our policy.
A full range of hairdressing services are available at New2U Hairdressers. Located in the main foyer of Christchurch Hospital.
Opening hours:
TVs are available for patients and visitors to watch in patient lounges, waiting areas and some wards and patient rooms. TVs brought from home will not work in our hospitals.
You can stream videos on your phone, tablet or notebook computer as long you do not disturb other patients or staff. Use headphones if you are watching something in a ward.
We provide a whānau accommodation facility for eligible family members who are supporting a family member in hospital.
If offers 3 bedroom apartments within walking distance (4 to 8 minutes) of Christchurch Hospital. There are 3 lockable apartments of varying sizes.
There is a cost, although some people may be eligible for funded accommodation. Speak to your social worker or Māori health worker for more information about this accommodation.
The volunteers gift shop has domestic post services and offers a range of gifts, cards, confectionery and snacks. You can also order gifts for patients online. The shop is located in the main foyer of Christchurch Hospital (the older hospital building, Parkside).
Open Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm. Over winter (1 June to 1 September) open 9:30am to 3:30pm.
100% of the profit goes back to the hospital in patient care and comfort funding grants. You can view some of their donations on the Christchurch Hospital Volunteers Facebook page.
A Kiwibank ATM is located at the back of the foyer inside the Christchurch Hospital main entrance.
The nearest other ATMs are located at:
In the main Christchurch Hospital, you can find baby changing facilities in the Riverside building on the lower ground floor, and in the Parkside East building on the ground floor.
In the Waipapa building, there are baby changing facilities in the:
If you have lost property at Christchurch Hospital, speak to reception or phone them on:
Tell them:
when you lost them, for example between 3pm and 10pm on Tuesday.
We provide whānau accommodation for eligible people who are supporting a family member in hospital.
There are 3 apartments a short walk (4 to 8 minutes) from Christchurch Hospital.
There is a cost, but some people may be eligible for funded accommodation. Speak to your social worker or Māori health worker for more information about this accommodation.
Hauora Māori services in Canterbury give patients and whānau culturally appropriate advice and support.
Specially trained staff give āwhina and tautoko with cultural issues and education on tikanga. The service can also help you find organisations and resources to support your recovery.
Services at Christchurch Hospital include:
Hauora Māori – Māori Health Services at Christchurch Hospital
Diabetes and Cardio Respiratory Integrated Specialist Services (CRISS) Māori health workers
Haematology Māori health nurse
The patient advocate service is independent of Te Whatu Ora Canterbury. It is a free service and provides:
Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service
Phone: 0800 555 050
Christchurch office phone: 03 377 7501
We have a free interpreter service if you do not speak English as your first language or have hearing loss and use NZ Sign Language.
You can ask your nurse or doctor to arrange an interpreter.
The interpreter service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The services we provide are:
The hospital chaplains have been theologically and clinically trained and licensed to work in a hospital.
The chaplains are available to support people of all religions and cultures. They can also contact your own religious or spiritual advisor and ask them to visit.
Your nurse, social worker, ward clerk or doctor can arrange for a chaplain to visit you, or you can ask to speak with a chaplain when you see them in the ward.
To contact our chaplains phone: 03 364 0640 (extension 89555)
After hours and weekends, you can ask to be put through to the on-call chaplain.
You should not come to our facilities as a visitor or support person if you are unwell. We encourage you to:
It is possible to have more than one visitor except in some situations, for example rooms with more than one patient where it can cause overcrowding.
Unfortunately flowers are not permitted in the wards or other areas of Christchurch Hospital or Christchurch Women's Hospital.
Hospital gift shops sell flower vouchers for flowers to be delivered when the person goes home. Other gifts are also available instead of flowers.
Our policy does not generally allow pets or other animals into our hospital, unless they are service animals.
There may be exceptions in some rehabilitation areas and special circumstances if agreed with ward staff before the visit.
If you have agreement from staff to bring an animal in, you are responsible for the animal at all times. Dogs must be on a lead for the whole visit. Animals cannot come at meal times and are not allowed in public cafeterias and cafes.
Crutches, walking frames and other equipment can be returned to Christchurch Hospital. There is a trolley in the lower ground car park where you can leave equipment. To find it:
Business, sales and charity representative visitors need permission to access our facilities.
Arrange your visit in advance with the person you need to speak to.
When you arrive at reception, complete the sign in register or electronic sign in and fill in a visitor label to wear.
Follow all rules and guidelines while onsite.
Hospital volunteers help patients, visitors, and staff by:
To contact Christchurch Hospital volunteers:
Being in hospital can be a worrying time. If you or your whānau have any questions or concerns, start by talking to the nurse in charge.
[LINK] If you have concerns about your care
If you are concerned you or a patient is getting sicker, use the Kōrero mai (talk to me) process.
If you are not eligible for free or subsidised healthcare, you will have to pay for your care at hospitals in Canterbury.
You have the right to request access or changes to the information that we hold about you.
Request access to your personal health information
