ESR services during the 2022 – 2023 holidays
Forensic services
All ESR forensic laboratories are open for business as usual to receive and examine items until 12 noon on Friday 23 December 2022. Please ensure all courier deliveries are sent so they are received by this time.
ESR forensic laboratories will be open between 8:00am – 4pm on 4–6 January 2023, returning to regular hours from Monday 9 January 2023.
Arrangements over the Christmas and New Year break
- For scene call-outs, urgent casework and advice, please contact the on-call forensic scientist on 0800 FORENSIC (0800 367 367) at any time
- For urgent delivery of exhibits to ESR’s Forensic Service Centre laboratories, contact the on-call forensic scientist on 0800 FORENSIC (0800 367 367) to arrange a suitable time for delivery.
Non-urgent toxicology and blood alcohol samples between Christmas and New Year
Samples for non-urgent work can be sent to the laboratory as usual between Christmas and New Year.
Urgent toxicology and blood alcohol samples between Christmas and New Year
For urgent enquiries please call the on-call toxicologist on 0800 ESR TOX (0800 377 869).
Should you have any difficulties contacting ESR over the Christmas and New Year period, please contact Forensic Service Centre Manager Tanja Van Peer on 021 192 1875.
Health laboratories
ESR health laboratories close at noon on Friday 23 December 2022, and reopen at 8 am on Wednesday 4 January 2023.
Sending samples before the holiday period
Please send samples in time to ensure they aren’t left at the courier depot over the holiday break. Samples submitted in December may not be reported before Christmas. For urgent testing please discuss with the after-hours person or the laboratory.
Testing during the holiday period
Samples that are urgent, notifiable, or required for export/import, and need to be tested during the holiday period, can be discussed with the receiving lab in the first instance or the ESR after hours person.
Contact details
- Antibiotic Reference and Nosocomial Infections Laboratories arl@esr.cri.nz or nil@esr.cri.nz
- Enteric Reference Laboratory wsc.erl@esr.cri.nz
- Legionella Reference Laboratory ksc.legionella@esr.cri.nz
- Invasive Pathogens Laboratoryf ipl@esr.cri.nz
- Special Bacteriology Laboratory sbl@esr.cri.nz
- Clinical Virology Laboratory virology@esr.cri.nz
- Enteric Virology Laboratory efvl.noro@esr.cri.nz
- Bloodborne Virus Laboratory blood.borneviruses@esr.cri.nz
- Sequencing Facility ngs@esr.cri.nz.
After hours call 04 529 0648 or 0800 437 734. This is for urgent services, outbreak investigations and referrals for urgent testing for a limited number of organisms.
Environmental science laboratories
Microbiology
Public health laboratory
- The laboratory closes at noon on Friday 23 December 2022 and reopens at 8 am on Wednesday 4 January 2023.
- Routine samples for the Micro laboratories will be accepted up until Friday 16 December. However, depending on testing requested, samples received after Friday 9 December may not be reported prior to Christmas. If you require reporting prior to Christmas, please contact the laboratory before submission to discuss your requirements at phlcsc@esr.cri.nz
- Emergency contact 027 258 0132
Food chemistry
Food chemistry laboratory
- The laboratory closes at noon on Friday 23 December 2022 and reopens at 8 am on Monday 9 January 2023.
- Routine samples for the Food Chemistry laboratory will be accepted up to Friday 16 December 2022. However, depending on testing requested, samples received after Friday 2 December may not be reported prior to Christmas.
- There may also be delays in reporting routine samples received up to 19 December 2022 to be reported later in January 2023.
- Emergency contact 021 992 323
Faecal source and bacterial typing/ whole genome sequencing analysis
- The laboratory closes at noon on Friday 23 December 2022 and reopens at 8 am on Monday 9 January 2023.
- Samples for faecal source testing and whole genome sequencing will be accepted up until Friday 23 December 2022.
- However, depending on testing requested, samples received after 1 December may not be reported prior to Christmas. If you require reporting prior to Christmas, please contact the laboratory operations technical lead before submission to discuss your requirements (paula.scholes@esr.cri.nz)
National Centre for Radiation Science (NCRS)
NCRS – Environmental Radioactivity Laboratory
- The laboratory will be closed over the Christmas break and on the public holidays.
- Emergency contact 021 393 632 (on call Duty Officer)
