Emergency medical services in New Zealand are operated by three organisations. In each case, the service consists of both volunteers and paid staff, and is subsidised by the government of New Zealand through NASO (National Ambulance Sector Office) a government department combining the Ministry of Health and the Accident Compensation Commission. Additional funding occurs by means of some billing for services to individuals (except Wellington Free), as well as by means of voluntary donations. In recent years, the government has begun to examine more sustainable funding for ambulance services. All three services St John Ambulance in New Zealand, Wellington Free Ambulance and Wairarapa District Health Board - have a history of long service to their communities, with Wellington Free since 1927 and St John since 1885. Since the age of the motor vehicle many Hospital Boards ran their own services. From 1957 - 1990 the Hospital Act stipulated that Hospital Boards had to provide an ambulance service. Many contracted that out to St John or had ad hoc arrangements with them, often for after hours staffing. When the Hospital Act was replaced by Health Boards, many of these Boards saw this as a chance to avoid being responsible and subsequently St John took over from many Boards (e.g. Thames, Bay of Plenty, Wanganui, Palmerston North, Waipawa, Dannevirke, Nelson, West Coast, Ashburton, Southland). Marlborough stayed a Hospital based service unti 2007 and Taranaki till 2011 - currently leaving Wairarapa as the only Hospital based service left.