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We lead the way with a contemporary trauma system in the Northern Region.

The Northern Region Trauma Network comprises senior representatives from the ambulance services, hospital trauma clinicians and trauma nurse specialists, rehabilitation specialists and primary care. Our focus is on improving the health outcomes for trauma patients and their families/whanau who sustain a serious injury through clinical audits of cases, research and training and education.

About Northern Region Trauma Network

The incidence of major trauma is rising, this rise generally being driven by falls for the Northern Region.  Many patients are transferred between the Region’s hospitals to receive definitive care for their injuries.


The Northern Region Trauma Network is working towards a more formal system for managing trauma patients that views the entire patient journey from onset of injury to integration back into their community. The initiatives we are implementing are in line with other jurisdictions which have demonstrated significant reduction with in-hospital mortality rates, improved recovery from injuries, cost savings to the health system and reduced social costs for the patient. Our work is aligned to the Major Trauma National Clinical Network to build a robust and consistent national system across New Zealand.

We are introducing a range of initiatives to introduce contemporary, quality care for major trauma patients in this region. Optimisation of pre-hospital and inter-hospital transfer systems and in-hospital management practices that follows the patient through to the community will deliver better overall trauma care, and cost savings in the form of improved resource utilisation and shorter hospital stays. A regional case review process has been established to identify and address regional systemic issues and to share points of learning.

Maori are overrepresented with major trauma injuries and are reported to have worse outcomes, so we ensure our Network also maintains an equity lens to help improve outcomes for patients and their families/whanau.