Collection centre opening hours can be found here.

Routine Samples

• Please consider carefully the clinical need to collect routine samples. They may be unsuitable for processing and / or clinically irrelevant by the time routine services resume.
• Please DO NOT send routine specimens to HB Hospital Lab – store appropriately in your surgery until the next normal working day.

Urgent Samples

• Requests should be clearly marked as urgent and placed in a Red Bag
• Send to HB Hospital Laboratory using Hastings Taxis ph 878 5055
• Urgent Microbiology testing is limited to the following:
  • Blood Culture
  • Sterile site fluids – Peritoneal dialysis, Ascitic, Pleural, Pericardial and Abscess (not epi-dermal associated).
  • Urines – probable pyelonephritis or history of previous UTI.
• Supporting clinical details are required.

Following a review of our processes, Awanui Labs will be removing the “HIV opt-off” antenatal blood test option from the eOrder system, paper and pdf request forms. This change is intended to prevent situations where “HIV opt-off” is selected inadvertently when a full antenatal screen is actually required. If a patient genuinely wishes to opt off HIV testing, please contact the laboratory directly prior to placing the request and advice will be given on how to make a request that doesn’t include HIV.

LabPlus is no longer sending hard copy paper reports. If you have been receiving any LabPlus results on paper, please contact them to discuss alternatives: LabLink@adhb.govt.nz

Historically, TFT results in pregnancy were reported without reference intervals, as gestational age is not always provided or reliably stated on request forms. Gestational reference intervals were supplied as a comment only, which prevented automatic flagging of abnormal results (since flagging is driven by reference intervals).

Change: TFT results will now include standard age-adjusted, non-pregnant reference intervals. Where applicable, gestational reference intervals will continue to be provided in the report as a comment.

Reason for Change

• The absence of reference intervals in previous reporting meant abnormal results were not automatically flagged, creating a potential patient safety risk.
• This revised approach ensures that abnormal results will be appropriately flagged for patient age, while still providing gestational reference intervals for clinical context.

Additional Notes for Clinicians

• Please ensure pregnancy status and gestational age (if known) are clearly stated on all request forms.
• This information is essential to support appropriate interpretation and accurate clinical decision-making.

For further information, please contact the laboratory directly.

Dr Melissa Yssel
Clinical Lead – Chemical Pathology & Illumiscreen
Awanui Labs

Awanui Labs has embarked on a nationwide harmonisation project to establish consistent reference intervals for biochemistry testing across all laboratories in its network. This initiative is a key quality improvement step, designed to ensure that patients, clinicians, and healthcare providers can rely on uniform and evidence-based reporting standards, regardless of which Awanui Labs facility is used.

The harmonisation project is being undertaken for several important reasons:

• Consistency across the Awanui network: Patients who have tests performed at different Awanui sites will receive results interpreted against the same reference intervals, reducing confusion and improving continuity of care.
• Alignment with best practice: Reference intervals are being reviewed against the latest evidence, guidelines, and peer-reviewed literature to ensure that Awanui Labs practices remain contemporary and scientifically sound.
• Improved patient care: Clinicians will be able to interpret results more confidently when managing patients who move between regions or who are seen by multiple providers.
• Age and sex specificity: Some analytes require distinct reference intervals based on age and/or sex, which were not previously incorporated. Introducing these refinements allows for more accu-rate clinical interpretation.
• National consistency between all Roche platform users: Patients who have tests performed in different regions, public and private, will receive results interpreted against the same reference intervals, reducing confusion and improving continuity of care.

Work to date has focused on commonly requested and clinically significant analytes, including:

• Liver function tests (LFTs)
• Electrolytes
• Calcium, magnesium, and phosphate

This is an ongoing process, and further analytes will be reviewed and updated over the coming months. The final goal is to establish a harmonised set of reference intervals for all key biochemistry tests across the Awanui network.

For the most current and authoritative reference intervals, please refer to your local Awanui Test Guide, available online.

For any questions, please contact your local laboratory or the chemical pathologist