Due to current COVID-19 situation and staffing constraints lab hours have changed.
Weekdays 8:00am – 5:00pm
All other hours are on call via the operator.
Phlebotomy (blood collection services) is now operating out of Outpatients 8:00am – 4:30pm, with 30 minutes unavailability while staff have their lunch at 12pm.
(Patients arriving during the lunch break will be required to wait in their car)
From Monday 15th June we are implementing scheduled planned appointments for the Laboratory.
For a blood test appointment, please call Buller Medical on 03 788 9277
Appointments will be available between the following times:
Mon: 7.30am – 2.30pm
Tue: 7.30am – 2.30pm
Wed: 7.30am – 2.30pm
Thu: 9.30am – 2.30pm
Fri: 7.30am – 2.30pm
Laboratory staff collect and test blood and other samples from patients when requested by a health care professional. A wide range of tests are available at Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre, and more tests are available through our partnership with Canterbury Health Laboratories in Christchurch.
To learn more about Pathology, visit the Know Pathology website.
Many different kinds of highly-trained staff work in the laboratory.
Test can only be ordered by a health professional (doctor, midwife, nurse practitioner, et cetera). They will give you a request form, which you must bring with you to the laboratory or sample drop-off.
Patients will need to be referred by a doctor (GP) at Coastal Health. After getting their blood tested at the Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre lab, the lab then reports back to the GP with the results. The cost at the time of publishing this information was $177.05 NZ for standard immigration blood tests (please verify with the GP or lab). If the doctor requests extra testing this cost could go up. Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre lab can be contacted during Open Hours (simply phone 03 769 7797 to find out what those additional costs are).
You usually don’t need an appointment for tests at Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre. You will need an appointment for a paternity test or for an allergy prick test.
You can make appointments by calling the Laboratory on 03 769 7797.
For some blood tests (such as glucose and lipids tests), you will need to fast before giving blood. That means no food or drinks (except for water) from midnight until the blood test.
Patients requiring a glucose tolerance test are required to stay at the Laboratory for two hours during testing.
The Laboratory is on the ground floor and can be found by following the signs from the main entrance.
Bleeding rooms are also available at West Coast DHB health centres in:
You can drop off specimens at these facilities for courier to the Te Nikau, Grey Hospital & Health Centre Laboratory.
Most medical centres require you to drop off your samples in the morning so they can be couriered on the same day.
Testing is usually free for New Zealand residents when requested by a health professional.
There will be a cost for the following:
Your health professional will let you know when they receive your test results from the Laboratory. You may wish to arrange an appointment with your health professional in advance to discuss your results.
Know Pathology is an information resource about pathology and its uses.
Page last updated: 29 July 2020
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