Community Heart Program

The Community Heart Programme has been designed to make it easy for every cricket club in New Zealand to obtain an AED for the safety of their players, officials and spectators.

Visit the Community Heart Page

David Wakefield, 26, of Old Boys’ Collegian was partaking in a team fitness session, when he collapsed. His heart stopped, and didn’t restart for 26 minutes.

Hear his story.

New Zealand Cricket’s encouraging clubs to join their Community Heart Programme, where clubs can register themselves online, set a fundraising goal for an AED device and purchase one through crowdfunding.

NZC’s head of community cricket, Kent Stead, says they’ve been overwhelmed by generous Kiwis who often don’t have links to specific clubs, but are keen to get more defibrillators in and around their communities.

“It may not be a player, it may be a supporter, it may be someone walking their dog at the park but by having the device at the club they can do their bit to make their communities that much safer,” Stead said.

Sophie Devine

Sophie Devine - Community Heart Ambassador

Every year in New Zealand, more than 2,000 cardiac arrests occur outside of a hospital. Cardiac arrest is imminently fatal, and the person in cardiac arrest who does not receive a defibrillating shock will die. Where defibrillation occurs early – especially within five minutes – survivors often recover with good neurological outcomes.

AEDs that are accessible in public places, such as sports clubs, can mean the difference between life and death to a person in cardiac arrest. All modern AEDs are easy to use and can be used by anyone, even untrained rescuers.

Kane Community Heart