Christchurch Hospital Emergency Department Photo: Supplied / Te Whatu Ora
Christchurch Hospital's emergency department has warned people it is extremely busy, and earlier this evening had more than 100 patients needing treatment.
It said those who don't need urgent care but wanted to stay at the ED would be in for a long wait and asked people to consider using alternatives like Healthline.
It said it was expecting the high numbers to continue through until the morning and said it was seeing patients with a range of complex conditions.
The ED is one of the busiest in the country and at its peak has seen up to 430 people in a 24-hour period.
