itxtme:nickb800: I've always figured that if it is a borderline case, then call 111 anyway, tell the dispatcher what is going on and they'll decide if an ambulance is necessary
Dispatchers are not at liberty to decide whether to send an ambulance. If you meet a specific criteria then they can push the call through to Healthline. There is also the possibility that the case will be viewed by the medic in coms and they do have the ability to decide to cancel jobs (this is a trial program). I would suggest if you are unsure then to call healthline, they can and do transfer jobs they deem emergencies, and you get the benefit of a clinical registered nurse versus a computer triaging system.
The problem I've always found with Healthline (both in Australia and NZ) is that they pretty much always end up with 'go to a 24/7 clinic/A&E'. An alternative, and I only found out about this the other week looking at the front window of my GP's, is that if your GP is with Procare after hours they now redirect their phone lines to triage nurses that may or may not have some access to your patient information (the info is very vague, what is listed is http://www.procare.co.nz/getdoc/8942b292-6f48-4da6-85ef-3b02db01f89e/After-hours-Care.aspx), sounds better than Healthline if your GP is with Procare though, because at least your GP will be aware of the call/any follow-up required in the future (hence the ponder that they have some access to records).
Other thing to consider, and bringing it off the health specific portion of 111, if you have a police/health/fire concern that isn't URGENT but needs reporting, then you can avoid overloading 111 by calling the appropriate communications centre direct (for police, off loading roading issues to *555 or general nuisence complaints to the local district station, Fire Service also publish their regional Fire-com numbers for low-priority calls on their website http://www.fire.org.nz/Pages/Contact.aspx, St John don't seem to).