50-YEAR HISTORY OF 111

• Before 111
• Planning 111
• Start of 111
• After 1958
• 111 in the 1960s
• Ambulance communications through the decades

• In 1968, New Zealand has the world's third-highest density of phones per 100 of population, after USA and Sweden.
  
  
• In the 1960s there was only one officer on duty at a time at the Ambulance Station in Hamilton. As the ambulance officer left the station, they would contact their on-call colleague to come in and hold the fort. If there was another 111 call in the meantime, the Telecom operator would advise the caller that the ambulance service was very busy and their call would be passed on as soon as possible.

KEY EVENTS IN 111 HISTORY

• 50s
• 60s
• 70s
• 80s
• 90s
• Now

1960

• Post and Telegraph changes its name to the New Zealand Post Office.
• By world standards, New Zealanders are very 'telephone-minded'; in fact we rank fifth in the world for telephone density with 27.5 telephones per hundred of population. On average every other house has a telephone...

1961

• Wellington, Alexandra, New Plymouth and Palmerston North given 111 service. Increased coverage in Napier and Invercargill.
• Wellington is the first major city installation. Service extends as far as Pukerua Bay and Stokes Valley.
• Australia introduces the 000 emergency number in major population centres. Nationwide coverage achieved near the end of the 1980s.

1962

• Te Awamutu, Whangarei, Westport and Ashburton are linked to 111.
• A record 68,700 new connections in the last year brings the total number of telephone subscribers to 802,000.

1964

• 111 introduced to Christchurch.
• 76 exchanges now have 111.

1965

• Post Office reports 154,000 (23%) of subscribers still connected to manual exchanges. "This is a high proportion for a generally advanced country such as New Zealand." The aim is to have all exchanges automatic by 1975.

1966

• 111 begins in Dunedin.
• Introduction of 111 in a number of centres not possible until fire, police and ambulance services make the necessary arrangements to accept calls.

1967

• Post Office puts all its efforts into eliminating manual and part-time exchanges and finishing Auckland's Airedale Street exchange.

1968

• 111 comes to Auckland.
• There are still 222 manual exchanges serving 149,434 subscribers.
• New Zealand has the world's third-highest density of phones per 100 of population, after USA and Sweden.
• Amercian phone company AT&T introduces the first USA 911 system in Hayleyville, Alabama.