Hōhepa Shop in Taradale gifted life-saving automated external defibrillator

Josh Kluts from HHStJ, (left), Nicola Hartigan, Hohepa Candle Artist, Chrissie Windirsch, Hohepa Shop Manager, and Emma Lawson, Hohepa Shop Volunteer.

As part of a program to increase automated external defibrillators (AED) in the community, The Hōhepa Shop in Taradale now has a brand new AED - or ‘heart re-starter’ - that is available 24/7 for the local community.

This AED, which has been generously donated by the Royston Health Trust, is part of a long-term regional plan to increase AED accessibility and visibility to the public.

Located on the exterior of the Taradale Hōhepa Shop at 260 Gloucester Street, the ‘heart re-starter’ is housed in a yellow, outdoor AED cabinet.

Hōhepa Shop staff and volunteers were joined by Josh Kluts, Hato Hone St John (HHStJ) Emergency Medical Technician and AED Development Lead for Hawke’s Bay, at the official installation event on Thursday, October 24.

Kluts from St John explained that it is important that members of the public know where the nearest AED is located, in case a cardiac medical event occurs.

If someone nearby were to go into cardiac arrest, Kluts said, “call 111 and ask for an ambulance, and then fetch the nearest AED. Ideally, someone else would perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in the meantime.”

He added, “When the heart stops pumping blood around the body, a defibrillator (AED) will read the heart’s rhythm and give it an electric shock to help return it back to normal.

“Anybody can use one, because they come with pre-loaded voice instructions, but it’s always worth doing a basic first aid course to boost your confidence in these situations.”

Hōhepa Shop’s AED installation occurred during HHSTJ’S ‘Shocktober’ - an annual awareness campaign in October.

Throughout this period, the ‘3 Steps for Life’ CPR and AED education programme is delivered to the public.

This programme includes free one-hour educative sessions which are designed to give people the confidence and awareness to act when someone suffers an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

HHStJ Community Education National Manager Jacci Tatnell explained that ‘the Shocktober campaign highlights how anyone, anywhere, can play a vital role in responding to a cardiac arrest in the community and therefore give that person the best chance of surviving.’

To date, the Shocktober community education team has successfully taught over 21,350 New Zealanders how to deliver CPR and administer an AED, well exceeding the initial 2024 goal of 15,000 people.