A 74-year-old man with heart problems collapsed on a Dunedin golf course and was told it could be up to three hours until an ambulance reached him.
David Cameron, of Dunedin, said he was at Island Park Golf Club in Waldronville when he felt lethargic and had a dizzy spell, falling from the trundler where he had been sitting.
Witnesses called 111, but ultimately took him to Dunedin Hospital themselves.
St John has now apologised, saying all available ambulances were tied up when Cameron lost consciousness about 2pm last Wednesday.
Cameron said it was fortunate he had friends and his brother on hand.