Frequently Asked Questions

Monday to Friday : 8.30am to 5.30pm (phones open until 5pm, doors open until 5.30)

Saturday: Open 9am-12pm in winter only. For 2026 this will be from Saturday 6 June until mid September.

Sunday : Closed

Dr Longman works Monday to Friday. Dr Kuruppu is available Monday to Thursday. Our nurse is available everyday but not between 1pm and 2pm. Days of work will occasionally vary due to staff leave.

We have an enrolment zone, you are welcome to enrol if you are living within the following suburbs as shown on Google Maps: Burnside, Bishopdale, Bryndwr, Fendalton, Strowan, Papanui, Casebrook, Redwood, Sockburn, Merivale, Avonhead, Russley, Ilam.

Enrolment is where you choose to make us your regular doctor. We arrange for your medical notes to be transferred from your previous doctor, and we become responsible for helping you look after your health. The government (PHO) funding is transferred to us when you enrol which entitles you to the subsidized services and fees. Not everyone is eligible for enrolment and in enrolling you are declaring that you are eligible. The Ministry of Health website has a guide to eligibility criteria (www.moh.govt.nz/eligibility). The eligibility of non-NZ residents for publicly funded health care depends on work visa status and duration.

Please call us. If we have spare appointments that day we will be able to give you an appointment. Please see our fees for casual patients.

A government-funded blood test is only able to be ordered by a doctor for diagnosis or monitoring of a medical problem. After the doctor has recommended the required tests for assessment of your symptoms or monitoring of your treatment, Nurse Fang is able to take your blood sample for you. There is a cost of $18 for this blood-taking service. You are also very welcome to have your sample taken at no charge at Awanui Laboratories – their nearest branches are at St Georges Hospital, Northlands and Riccarton. They will still send us the result electronically.

People sometimes wish to or need to have a blood test which is outside the government funding parameters. This includes tests for employment, travel, or insurance purposes; just-for-interest tests in the absence of related medical troubles (e.g. “I’d really like to know my blood type” or “I’m well and I’d like this test done just to be sure it is normal”); and general blood tests in a well person (e.g. “I wonder what my vitamin levels are”). In these cases, you will need to pay the laboratory testing costs to the laboratory at the time they take your sample. If you already have a lab request form for such tests, e.g. from an insurance company, you are best to book directly with the laboratory. Kendal Medical Centre does not take the samples for these non-funded blood tests and will direct you to Awanui Laboratories so you can pay them when your blood is taken.

We will definitely contact you if your test results show something wrong. In many cases we will text you about your results. You can also see all of your test results in your Patient Portal. You are welcome to ring or email if you are wondering about your result email us at [email protected]

Yes, we have a Patient Portal known as MyIndici. We strongly recommend this portal for all patients. Please ask our reception team to set up MyIndici for you. As it also gives access to your medical information eg test results, we need to set this up individually for each patient after confirming your identity to protect your privacy.

Dr Longman has undertaken postgraduate training in dermatoscopy (a more accurate technique for checking skin blemishes). Dr Longman has 15 years experience with these minor surgical procedures like cyst and mole removal. Liquid nitrogen is also available for warts and skin tags.

Yes, of course. We understand that you might feel more comfortable having someone with you. If you are bringing someone who also wishes to discuss their own health, they will need to be booked in for the consultation, in order for us to allocate the appropriate time slot and prevent delays for other patients.

We are opening for an extra Saturday morning clinic from 9am to 12pm through winter. This will run from Saturday 6 June to at least mid September.

When the Medical Centre is closed, if you wish to be seen at an after hours clinic we are affiliated with the Pegasus 24 Hour Surgery at 401 Madras Street. They will send us details of your visit. Practice Plus, which is run by NZ registered general practitioners, is an on-line virtual service. For more information on Practice plus visit our After Hours page. For more options on after hours urgent care visit yourbestcare.co.nz

You are welcome to see any doctor at Kendal Medical Centre. At times there will be an experienced “Locum” doctor who will be able to look after your needs. Nurse Fang will also be able to assist and advise you during this time. Please do use the locum rather than defer your medical care.

We do our best to keep to appointment times. However, we place priority on giving each patient the attention they need and it is often difficult to anticipate how long this will take. Sometimes the doctors have to look after someone urgently or liaise with the hospital before they can see you. Please let reception know if you are concerned about the amount of time you have been waiting.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to predict this more than a few minutes in advance. A doctor may run late due to an emergency, for example, and then be back on time quickly due to a late cancellation. However, if there is a large delay we may ring you and ask if you would like to arrive later or reschedule.

The information you share with your GP is confidential and will not be shared with anyone without your permission. We will contact you if anyone asks for information about your healthcare without your prior approval.

We provide care free of charge within the first twelve weeks of pregnancy and will help you find an obstetrician or midwife. Once you have a midwife she will be your lead pregnancy caregiver. We can see you for a free pregnancy related medical assessment if your midwife provides a written referral asking us to check a particular issue. You should still see us for non-pregnancy related health matters that crop up during pregnancy.

Pegasus Health was founded in 1992 when a group of Christchurch general practitioners met to see how they could use the ‘health reforms’ of the time to get a better deal for the local community. The early Pegasus pioneers brought together the majority of Christchurch GPs to form an Independent Practitioner Association (IPA) with a strong clinical education foundation and a focus on reducing wastage on unnecessary laboratory tests and prescriptions. The savings achieved went to building a range of programmes and services for patients, such as the first free GP visits for under 5s, free mammography screening for at risk women (before the national programme began), and the PEGS smoking cessation programme (and many more). Pegasus innovations continue to lead health service design and delivery across the country and internationally. The Pegasus education programme continues to ensure that doctors, nurses, and the wider clinical community stay on top of health developments and are kept current with changes in best practice as they happen.

We strive to provide the best general practice care that we can. If you have any complaints about the treatment or service you have received from us, we would really like to know. It is our experience that most concerns can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction by talking to your GP or the practice manager. Please do not hesitate to talk to us about any issues that may be concerning you.

Ring 03 358 8266, or we have online booking available for patients who have registered with our Patient Portal called MyIndici. This allows you to log in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and book a time that suits. If booking online, the system defaults to showing the available appointments for the main doctor you are enrolled with. You can click the provider option on this page and switch to a list showing other providers’ (doctors’) appointment availability. If you need an urgent appointment and nothing is available online, please call us – we do keep some appointments aside for our receptionist or nurse to book urgently each day.at Kendal Medical Centre?

Ring 03 358 8266, or we have online booking available for patients who have registered with our Patient Portal called MyIndici. This allows you to log in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and book a time that suits. If booking online, the system defaults to showing the available appointments for the main doctor you are enrolled with. You can click the provider option on this page and switch to a list showing other providers’ (doctors’) appointment availability. If you need an urgent appointment and nothing is available online, please call us – we do keep some appointments aside for our receptionist or nurse to book urgently each day.

A telephone or video consultation is adequate for some issues, some of the time. However, we can perform a better assessment in almost all situations by seeing you face to face. If your phone appointment does not adequately assess your condition, you will need to come to a separate face to face appointment, and there may be two separate appointment fees.

We want to safely assess your condition or injury, and this is usually best done in a face to face consultation. Telephone or video appointments cost the same as face to face appointments. If you book a telephone or video appointment and your condition cannot be safely assessed in that appointment, you will need a face to face appointment at additional cost. Whether the subsidised or non-subsidised rate applies to these appointments will depend on the circumstances.

All first assessments of accidental injuries require a face to face appointment. A condition where a doctor will almost certainly need to examine you physically requires a face to face appointment – a common example of this is a possible chest infection.

Almost all renewals of off-work certificates, including WINZ and ACC medicals, require a face to face appointment.

If you are hoping for a telehealth appointment because you are out of town or overseas, please carefully consider whether you should be seeking medical assessment in that location.

Please be careful when booking a telephone or video appointment. Our receptionist can usually guide you on whether one will be suitable, and can ask our nurse or doctor if it isn’t clear. If in doubt, please book a face to face appointment for safer and cheaper care.

Common services the nurse will usually provide without a doctor’s appointment include: taking blood samples and blood pressure checks, liquid nitrogen for warts, B12 and depot injections, pregnancy tests, and immunisation administration.

Please note you need a request form from a doctor before the nurse can take your blood sample.

If you are unsure whether you need a doctor’s appointment or a nurse appointment, please do not hesitate to ask. Our receptionists and nurses will usually be able to answer this, and if they are not certain they will check with the doctors.

Payment is required at the time of consultation. However, we understand that, at times, this is not always possible. A non-refundable administration fee of$5 will be added to outstanding accounts. If you have received an account advising you of your account balance, you can make payments at the medical centre, through the patient portal or by online banking to: Kendal Medical Centre Limited, BNZ 02-1268-0144595-000. Please enter your name as the reference.

Our primary concern is for your health and well-being. If you are concerned about how you will pay for your medical care please discuss this with your doctor or the receptionist, who will explain the options available.

Yes, we are a Southern Cross “Easy Claim” affiliated provider. For those patients with Southern Cross Health Insurance we are able to make direct claims on your behalf, for any services for which you have cover.

Sometimes repeat prescriptions are available without having to see the doctor. In many circumstances it is in your best interests for the doctor to be able to re-assess your condition in case medication changes are necessary. Repeat prescription requests require 24 hours notice and can be made by phone, through your patient portal or by completing the prescription request form on this website. If you request a repeat prescription and an appointment is necessary you will be informed.

Providing a repeat prescription can involve work by a receptionist, a nurse and your doctor. Government health subsidies for children under 14 years of age do not cover repeat prescriptions.

Kendal Pharmacy is right next door. Phone 03 3588217. We are also ably served by the nearby Bishopdale Unichem Pharmacy.

These became legally permissible from 1 February 2026. People whose health condition is very well controlled on their current medication, whose medical monitoring is up to date, who don’t need frequent monitoring and who have very low likelihood of needing dose changes in the next twelve months can be considered for 12 month prescriptions.

Some medications including many strong painkillers, most types of sleeping pill, most ADHD treatments and any medical marijuana product are by government regulation not eligible for 12 month prescriptions.

As a rule of thumb, the more medications and medical conditions you have, the less likely a 12 month prescription will be considered suitable by your doctor. If you wish to be considered for a 12 month prescription please book an appointment with your doctor to discuss whether this is suitable for you.

Yes we do. We recommend them for most people over the age of 50, and for younger people at higher than average risk of significant or prolonged Covid. Please ask the team if you are interested.

Our nurse, Fang will contact you when your children’s immunizations are due. This is usually combined with a doctor’s check up and is a free service.

We are able to advise on and administer most travel vaccinations. A doctor’s appointment will be required initially and you will need to let us know your exact destinations. We have a questionnaire which needs completed before your doctors appointment. Please ask reception for a copy of this or download and print from this link Pre-Travel Questionnaire Please remember that most vaccinations need to be commenced two to three weeks before departure. We are unable to give yellow fever or rabies vaccinations.