Onesie Day 2025 Wrap Up

Tommy’s is proud to once again have been a key supporter of Wellington Free Ambulance’s 2025 Onesie Day Appeal. We want to thank the Wellington public for graciously donating to ensure this incredibly important service continues to run and provide Kiwis with medical assistance when they need it most. Wellington Free Ambulance not only provides critical care through Emergency Ambulance Services to anyone who requires them, it also operates one of three 111 Clinical Communications Centres in New Zealand, answering nearly a quarter of a million calls each year. 

Wellington Free Ambulance needs the help of all Wellingtonians to ensure this life-saving service continues to run. These generous donations fund the purchase of critical equipment like blood glucose monitors, digital thermometers, and NeoMate transporters which ensure infants can be stabilised for safe transportation to urgent care. 

We’re thrilled to say we helped Wellington Free Ambulance surpass their fundraising goal of $200,000 for 2025’s Onesie Day Appeal. We achieved this by spreading the message to our clients and hitting the streets on Thursday 11th September to don our Onesies and collect donations from the Wellington public. It was heartwarming to have members of the Wellington public stop their daily commutes to donate and share harrowing stories about how Wellington Free Ambulance helped them or one of their loved ones in a time of need. 

Wellington Free Ambulance services a huge area, from Wellington City all the way up to the Wairarapa and are one of the only free ambulance services in the country. This comes at a large cost, leaving these lifesavers needing to fundraise around $8 million every year. This is where Onesie Day plays a crucial role, not only to contribute to fundraising, but also increasing awareness around the service itself and the human stories they contribute to day in and day out. 

Stories like that of Dean, who found himself needing urgent, lifesaving medical care after a terrifying fall while mountain biking in the remote setting of Te Ahumairangi. After launching off a steep drop, Dean had a bad landing which broke his neck in two places. In a split second he went from an exhilarating day outdoors to lying motionless, overcome by pain in a rugged and isolated area of Wellington. Fortunately, for Dean, paramedics from Wellington Free Ambulance were mobilised and ready to hike into the treacherous terrain and start providing life saving care before Dean could be handed over to flight paramedics on the rescue helicopter. 

Dean’s story is not an isolated one – Wellingtonians find themselves thrown into desperate situations with no warning on a daily basis which is why it’s absolutely crucial we all do our bit to ensure help is available when we need it. 

So, we thank you, Wellington, for doing your bit to help keep this service running and ensuring the team have access to all the equipment they need to do their job efficiently and effectively. Next time you see some friendly faces wearing Onesies on a Spring Day, be sure to stop for a chat, and give what you can.