Hato Hone St John - South Otago

01/03/2026

Someone you care about might need help.
That someone could be you?
Mental Health First Aid Training gives you practical tools to support whānau, friends, workmates, and most importantly yourself.
Thanks to PowerNet, FREE courses are running across Southland, including Invercargill next month.
Book fast by clicking the link below! Seats won’t last.

Through our partnership with PowerNet, we’re offering free first aid training and mental health first aid training to people who are unable to afford to pay on their own.

29/12/2025

Make sure you head along to the exhibition in Owaka today, generously supporting St John

08/10/2025

Thanks to the generous support of PowerNet, St John Balclutha is once again offering a free Mental Health First Aid course for our local community.

This course is designed to help people recognise and respond to signs of mental distress in others, and to support someone until professional help is available. It’s a valuable opportunity for anyone who wants to build confidence in helping friends, whānau, colleagues, or community members.

Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to register early.

When: Wednesday 5th November
Where: St John Balclutha
Cost: Free

To register or learn more, please visit www.stjohn.org.nz/powernet

01/09/2025

Health Related Scholarship – Apply Now

The Clutha Area Committee is offering a Health Related Scholarship of up to $1,000.

This is open to anyone in our community who is planning to begin health-related studies in 2026.

📩 For an information pack and application form, please email:
southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz

20/06/2025

This week we celebrated the incredible volunteers who give their time, heart, and energy across South Otago.

From the ambulance crews who respond day and night, to the therapy pets and their humans bringing comfort and smiles, to our caring callers checking in on people who need a friendly voice and to those behind the scenes on area committees making it all possible. Thank you!

You are the backbone of our Hato Hone St John community, and what you do matters more than words can say.

Ngā mihi nui to each and every one of you. We see you. We appreciate you. We’re proud to stand alongside you.

14/06/2025

🌟 St John Balclutha’s First Annual Appeal Window Display Competition 🌟

A huge thank you to all the wonderful local businesses who got involved in our very first window display competition! We’ve loved seeing the creativity and how you’ve lit up Balclutha for St John.

Congratulations to Bates Pharmacy, our 2025 winner! 🏆 Your display was a standout, and we’re so grateful for your support.

Special mention to Balclutha Family Store, Guthrie Bowron and Powerzone Motorcycles for their wonderful entries! We can’t wait to do it all again next year!

03/06/2025

They say money doesn’t grow on trees… unless you’re a golfer with bad aim!

Thanks again to Balclutha Golf Club for their continued support in donating your money tree funds to St John Clutha. Much appreciated!

16/04/2025

You might spot a bit more action than usual around our Balclutha station soon with renovations set to begin at the end of the month!

Rest assured, we’ll remain fully operational during this time. The crew may even find the time to snap some great pics, like this one from our talented volunteer, Liv!

Reception will be closed from Friday 18th April and will reopen in its new temporary space on Monday 28th April, just follow the arrows when you visit.

20/03/2025

Reminder about our FREE child first aid course coming up next week!

See the below post for more details.

Free Child First Aid Course - In Partnership with Balclutha Parents Centre

📅 When: Thursday 27th March, 9:00am - 1:30pm
📍 Where: Balclutha Parent Centre. 12 Pearson Lane, Balclutha.

👶🩹 Do you look after children? Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, this course is for you!

Join us at the Balclutha Parent Centre for a free Child First Aid course. Learn essential skills to help keep children safe, from CPR to handling common injuries and emergencies.

This course is open to anyone over 14 years old and children under 5 are welcome to come along and enjoy the facilities. Don’t forget to pack them a lunch! 🍎🥪

Spaces are limited, so register today by emailing southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz

For more details on the course, click the link below:
https://buy.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid-training/public-courses/first-aid/child-first-aid/ %20Information

04/02/2025

Free Child First Aid Course - In Partnership with Balclutha Parents Centre

📅 When: Thursday 27th March, 9:00am - 1:30pm
📍 Where: Balclutha Parent Centre. 12 Pearson Lane, Balclutha.

👶🩹 Do you look after children? Whether you're a parent, grandparent, or caregiver, this course is for you!

Join us at the Balclutha Parent Centre for a free Child First Aid course. Learn essential skills to help keep children safe, from CPR to handling common injuries and emergencies.

This course is open to anyone over 14 years old and children under 5 are welcome to come along and enjoy the facilities. Don’t forget to pack them a lunch! 🍎🥪

Spaces are limited, so register today by emailing southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz

For more details on the course, click the link below:
https://buy.stjohn.org.nz/first-aid-training/public-courses/first-aid/child-first-aid/ %20Information

02/02/2025

The Next Balclutha Mental Health First Aid course funded by PowerNet is 18th March and filling up fast, so please jump online now as per link below and secure your seat.

This course gives you simple everyday life skills and tools to deal with mental health. These learnings could help yourself or hopefully give you the confidence to support a colleague or a loved one, if there is a need 👍

https://powernet.co.nz/about-us/community/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIGPnNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHSJ7hOmkI0ZvJKuxPoXxPwxqj1bGNsD5E7ir19_qVSfIkoC4cwUR8VylQA_aem_fbtNXAA_gpwQXYguwo2TrA

Since 2014, PowerNet and St John have had an amazing partnership. The Mental Health First Aid courses continue our joint vision to improve our communities’ health and safety outcomes.

30/01/2025

🐾 Attention, Pets! 🐾

Do you have well-mannered humans who love meeting new people? We’re looking for friendly animals and their hairless companions to join our Therapy Pets Team and bring joy to residents at rest homes and students at schools! 💖

If your humans are calm, friendly, and love to spread happiness, we want to hear from you! (Bonus points if they know how to follow directions and not steal treats!) 😜🐾

Interested? Tell your humans to email us at southotago.ac@stjohn.org.nz or scan the QR code in the image to learn more about how you can get involved! 📩