Southern Community Laboratories is now Awanui Labs: what changed, and where to go

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-09-09 · Reviewed annually, or sooner if the rules it describes change.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Southern Community Laboratories no longer exists as a separate brand: it became Awanui Labs in 2023, when eight regional New Zealand pathology companies, including Southern Community Laboratories, Medlab South, Canterbury SCL, Wellington SCL, Hawke's Bay SCL, Taranaki Pathology, Northland Pathology and Labtests, joined under one national name and one ownership structure (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Is Southern Community Laboratories still operating in NZ?

Not under that name. The organisation that ran as Southern Community Laboratories is the same organisation now trading as Awanui Labs, with the same collection centres, the same staff and the same laboratories, just a new national brand (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026). For current cost, locations and insurer information, go to Awanui Labs.

When did Southern Community Laboratories become Awanui Labs?

Awanui's own about page dates the formation of the unified Awanui brand to 2023, bringing together Southern Community Laboratories and seven other regional pathology companies under one name (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Detail	What is published
Old name	Southern Community Laboratories (also known regionally as Canterbury SCL)
New name	Awanui Labs (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Year of rebrand	2023 (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Owners	NZ Super Fund, Te Pūia Tāpapa, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Collection centres nationwide	150+ (Awanui Labs, retrieved 9 September 2026)
Current Canterbury contact	03 359 0900 (Awanui Labs, Canterbury, retrieved 9 September 2026)

What other regional lab brands became Awanui Labs?

Alongside Southern Community Laboratories, the 2023 rebrand also folded in Medlab South, Wellington SCL, Hawke's Bay SCL, Taranaki Pathology, Northland Pathology and Labtests, so a patient who used any of these regional names is now looking for Awanui Labs, not a separate successor company (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026). Note that Medlab Central, which serves Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Palmerston North and Whanganui, is a different, still-independent company owned by Sonic Healthcare and was not part of this rebrand: see Medlab Central if that is the provider on your paperwork.

Do I need a new referral if my lab provider changed its name?

No. A GP referral written for Southern Community Laboratories, Canterbury SCL or any of the other rebranded regional names is still valid, because it is the same organisation and the same laboratories processing the sample, only trading under the Awanui Labs name since 2023 (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026). Take your referral to any current Awanui Labs collection centre.

Are my old Southern Community Laboratories results still accessible?

This page's source pack does not confirm a specific historical-records policy for pre-2023 Southern Community Laboratories results. Awanui Labs recommends patients ask their referring doctor for a copy of results, since referrers generally hold the clinical record and can explain results in context, and for self-requested results Awanui's BODYiQ portal keeps a private online copy for tests ordered through that channel (Awanui Labs, self-requested testing, retrieved 9 September 2026). If you need older records, contact Awanui Labs' Canterbury team directly on 03 359 0900.

What is Awanui Labs, in one paragraph?

Awanui Labs is New Zealand's largest community pathology network, with more than 150 collection centres nationwide, formed in 2023 when Southern Community Laboratories and seven other regional lab brands joined under common ownership by NZ Super Fund, Te Pūia Tāpapa and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026). The full profile, including cost, insurer cover and how to get tested, is on Awanui Labs.

The eight regional brands that became Awanui Labs

Awanui's own history page names eight regional pathology companies that unified under the Awanui name in 2023, each with its own long-standing regional identity before the rebrand.

Former regional brand	Region
Southern Community Laboratories (Canterbury SCL)	Canterbury
Medlab South	Otago and Southland
Wellington SCL	Wellington
Hawke's Bay SCL	Hawke's Bay
Taranaki Pathology	Taranaki
Northland Pathology	Northland
Labtests	Auckland
(Group formed as) Awanui Labs	Nationwide, 2023 onward

Source: Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026.

Where are the former Southern Community Laboratories collection centres now?

The physical collection centres that operated as Southern Community Laboratories across Canterbury did not close or move; they continue operating at the same addresses under the Awanui Labs name, alongside more than 150 collection centres nationwide (Awanui Labs, retrieved 9 September 2026). Use Awanui Labs for the current collection-centre locator.

Does my health insurance still work the same way after the rebrand?

Yes. The rebrand changed the company's trading name, not how New Zealand funds or insures pathology testing. Community lab tests are still publicly funded on a New Zealand-registered doctor's referral, and the same insurer benefit rules that applied before 2023 still apply now: see Awanui Labs, which insurers cover it for the current detail on Southern Cross, nib, AIA, Partners Life and UniMed. For cost context on what a referral often leads to next, see QuoteHub's specialist consultation cost page and the treatment costs and waiting times research.

Was staff or ownership affected by the Southern Community Laboratories rebrand?

Awanui describes the 2023 change as a unification of eight existing regional laboratory companies into one national brand and ownership structure, rather than a sale to a new operator or a change of the people doing the testing (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026). Ownership today sits with NZ Super Fund, Te Pūia Tāpapa and Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan.

What if my paperwork still says Southern Community Laboratories?

An older referral, results letter or invoice bearing the Southern Community Laboratories name is still a valid record from the same organisation, now trading as Awanui Labs; you do not need to have it reissued for it to be honoured by a GP, specialist or Awanui Labs itself (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Common questions

Is Southern Community Laboratories the same company as Awanui Labs?

Yes. Southern Community Laboratories was one of eight regional brands that merged into Awanui Labs in 2023; it is the same company, the same collection centres and the same laboratory staff under a new national name (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Where do I go now for a blood test if I used to go to Southern Community Laboratories or Canterbury SCL?

Go to the same physical collection centre you used before; it now operates as Awanui Labs. See Awanui Labs for current cost, insurer and location information, or the Canterbury region contact line on 03 359 0900 (Awanui Labs, Canterbury, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Does health insurance cover tests from Southern Community Laboratories?

The cover position is the same as for Awanui Labs generally: most community pathology in New Zealand is publicly funded on a GP referral rather than claimed through a private health insurance policy, so see Awanui Labs, which insurers cover it for the detail on Southern Cross, nib, AIA, Partners Life and UniMed.

What if I also need a scan, not just a blood test?

A blood test and a scan are ordered and paid for separately in New Zealand: see Pacific Radiology, Auckland Radiology or Bay Radiology for radiology-specific cost and insurer information, and health insurance companies for how each insurer treats imaging.

Is Southern Community Laboratories the same as Medlab Central?

No. Medlab Central is a separate, still-operating company covering Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Palmerston North and Whanganui, owned by Sonic Healthcare, and it was not part of the 2023 Awanui rebrand (Medlab Central, About Medlab Central, retrieved 9 September 2026).

Will my GP still send my referral to the right place?

Yes. New Zealand's laboratory referral routing follows the region and the physical laboratory, not the brand name printed on a referral form, so a GP referral addressed to Southern Community Laboratories or Canterbury SCL still reaches the correct, now Awanui-branded, laboratory (Awanui, About us, retrieved 9 September 2026).

If you were referred for imaging or a specialist opinion alongside your lab test, QuoteHub's providers hub also covers Canterbury and nationwide radiology groups such as Pacific Radiology and TRG Imaging, and the private hospitals directory covers Christchurch hospitals including St George's Hospital, Forté Health Christchurch and Southern Cross Christchurch Hospital.

Quick reference: old name to current page

The table below maps the old regional lab names people still search for to the correct current QuoteHub page.

If your paperwork says	Go to
Southern Community Laboratories	Awanui Labs
Canterbury SCL	Awanui Labs
Medlab South	Awanui Labs
Medlab Central (Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Palmerston North, Whanganui)	Medlab Central (a separate company, not part of this rebrand)

Verdict

QuoteHub's read is that this rebrand carries no practical consequence for a patient: the collection centres, the staff and the underlying laboratories are unchanged, and the only action needed is to search for Awanui Labs rather than Southern Community Laboratories from now on. See Awanui Labs for cost, locations and insurer cover, Medlab Central for the genuinely separate central North Island lab company, and the providers hub for other New Zealand healthcare provider comparisons. For the insurance policies that sit around your treatment, see health insurance companies, Southern Cross health insurance, nib health insurance and QuoteHub's health insurance guide.