Unichem Upper Hutt Pharmacy sits on Fergusson Drive in Elderslea, Upper Hutt, and operates as a full-service community pharmacy at the heart of the suburb's everyday health care. As part of the Unichem network, it pairs traditional dispensing with a Care & Advice Health Hub — an in-store offering that ranges from general health checks, such as blood pressure checks, through to specialised consultations with pharmacy staff.
The service list here is unusually broad for a suburban pharmacy. Vaccinations are a cornerstone, covering influenza, COVID-19, shingles, meningococcal disease and whooping cough (Boostrix), alongside vitamin B12 injections. Pharmacist-led consults are available for allergic conjunctivitis, urinary tract infections, the emergency contraceptive pill and smoking cessation, while families are catered for with pain and fever management and oral rehydration services for children under 14, plus head lice and scabies treatment. The pharmacy also offers a Wegovy weight loss injection service, COVID-19 antiviral supply, medical cannabis dispensing, Triton hearing checks and passport photos.
Visiting is flexible: the pharmacy welcomes walk-ins, takes phone bookings, and offers online booking through its Centrik page. Doors are open 8:30am to 5:30pm on weekdays, 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturdays and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Sundays, closing only on public holidays. Prescriptions can be emailed ahead to [email protected], and shoppers can earn through the Living Rewards programme.
On Fergusson Drive in Elderslea, Unichem Upper Hutt Pharmacy has grown well beyond the traditional picture of a corner chemist. Yes, it dispenses prescriptions — and you can email yours ahead to [email protected] so they're ready when you arrive — but it has also built out one of the broader service menus of any suburban pharmacy in the Upper Hutt area, all anchored by its Care & Advice Health Hub.
The Health Hub concept is simple: make the pharmacy a genuine first point of contact for health care. The team offers a wide range of essential services, from general health checks such as blood pressure checks through to specialised consultations. Instead of waiting days for a GP appointment for a minor ailment, locals can walk in, phone ahead, or book online through the pharmacy's Centrik booking page.
That flexibility matters. Walk-in services mean a sore throat or an itchy scalp can be dealt with on the spot during a lunch break, while bookable consults give you a guaranteed time with the pharmacist for something that needs a bit more attention.
Immunisation is one of the pharmacy's standout offerings. The team administers flu vaccines — worth remembering, as the flu spreads easily through everyday talking, coughing and sneezing — along with COVID-19 vaccinations, shingles, meningococcal and whooping cough (Boostrix) vaccines. Vitamin B12 injections are available too, making it easy to keep on top of a regular injection schedule without a separate trip across town.
Parents get practical support here. The pharmacy offers pain and fever management and oral rehydration services specifically for children under 14, plus head lice treatment — a lifeline when the school note comes home — and scabies treatment.
Adults have plenty of options as well: pharmacist consults for urinary tract infections, allergic conjunctivitis and the emergency contraceptive pill, and a smoking cessation consultation for anyone ready to quit. These are the kinds of everyday health issues where a well-timed pharmacist chat can save a doctor's visit.
The pharmacy has moved with the times on newer services. It offers Wegovy, a weekly weight loss injection designed for adults living with obesity or weight-related health conditions. Looking ahead, extended pharmacy services will expand the range of funded medicines community pharmacists can provide directly to people in their communities, further cementing the pharmacist's role as a first point of clinical care.
The long tail of the service list is worth knowing about: COVID-19 antiviral supply, medical cannabis dispensing, Triton hearing checks and even passport photos — genuinely useful when you're renewing travel documents.
Unichem Upper Hutt Pharmacy keeps generous hours: 8:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 3:00pm on Saturdays and 9:00am to 1:00pm on Sundays — one of the few places in the area where you can sort out a script or a vaccine on a Sunday morning. It closes on public holidays, so plan ahead for those.
Bookings can be made online, by phone on (04) 528 4405, or simply by walking in. Shoppers can also join Living Rewards, the loyalty programme linked to the Unichem network.
For Elderslea and the wider Upper Hutt community, this is pharmacy care scaled to real life: open long hours seven days a week, staffed to handle everything from a blood pressure check to a vaccination, and set up so that getting help is as easy as walking through the door on Fergusson Drive.