Hutchinson, HeatherDicker, BridgetTodd, VeritySwain, AndrewScott, TonyGarcia, ElenaMaessen, Sarah E2026-06-042026-06-042026-05-29New Zealand Medical Journal, ISSN: 0028-8446 (Print); 1175-8716 (Online), New Zealand Medical Association, 139(1635), 118-124. doi: 10.26635/6965.74300028-84461175-8716http://hdl.handle.net/10292/21317Rapid defibrillation is vital in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) treatment. In Aotearoa New Zealand, trained responders dispatched by the 111 system (emergency medical services [EMS], Fire and Emergency New Zealand [FENZ] and dispatched first response groups) with defibrillators reach a patient in cardiac arrest an average of 8 minutes after a 111 call in urban areas and 11 minutes in rural areas. However, odds of survival drop dramatically after a delay to defibrillation of only 2 to 5 minutes after collapse.Open Access. The New Zealand Medical Journal now offers free open access for all individuals that subscribe to the journal, giving subscribers 24/7 access to online content from 1999 to present. The NZMJ is fully available to individual subscribers and does not incur a subscription fee.32 Biomedical and Clinical Sciences3201 Cardiovascular Medicine and HaematologyHeart Disease - Coronary Heart DiseaseCardiovascularHeart Disease11 Medical and Health SciencesGeneral & Internal Medicine32 Biomedical and clinical sciences42 Health sciencesJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.26635/6965.7430