The emergency service received the fully-equipped Mercedes-Benz Sprinter last week, just in time for the arrival of tens of thousands of visitors for the skiing and the Queenstown Winter Festival.
The Sprinter replaces a 10-year-old 4WD ambulance which has been redeployed in Dunedin.
Queenstown's new ambulance was built on a 4WD chassis, needed to operate efficiently and safely in the Wakatipu basin, and the rear patient compartment meets the new national standard. The design includes such new features as a side door, more headroom, extra heating, new energy efficient and brighter LED lights, red and white flashing lights for improved visibility and the capability to drive at 130kmh when responding to emergencies.
''From a response point of view, it's new technology for winter conditions. It's a lot safer to drive in winter, with electronic stabilisation, a new type of chain system and push-button 4WD,'' St John Queenstown operations team manager Kelvin Perriman said.
''It's right up there with what we want.''
The double-crew ambulance will make its public debut as part of St John's contribution to the Winter Festival street parade today. It is the latest addition to the Frankton station's fleet of three 4WD and two 2WD ambulances.
Mr Perriman said two extra staff had been employed to cope with the winter workload, which took the complement to 10 full-time staff and 18 active volunteers in Queenstown.
Their station to station job response time for Coronet Peak emergencies was about two hours, and about two and a-half hours for the Remarkables.
St John Queenstown answered 1100 emergency calls last winter, between June 1 and October 31, up from 1040 in the same period in 2011. The number of ski area calls was about 380 for both years.
Mr Perriman put the steady number of snow sports injuries down to more enthusiasts wearing protective helmets and wrist guards compared with 12 to 15 years ago, as well as the skill and safety management of medical staff and NZSki on the mountains.
St John fundraising activities include a debut boat race on Queenstown Bay next Friday.
