Murray Holt, from St John's Ambulance, goes over the process involved in the evacuation of a suspected Ebola patient from Gore to Christchurch.

A health worker from Gore being tested for the Ebola virus is in a stable condition at Christchurch Hospital.

The patient was transferred from their home in Gore to hospital by helicopter early on Saturday morning.

The helicopter was met by a police blockade outside the hospital.

A Christchurch Hospital spokeswoman confirmed the patient was the recently returned health worker from Sierra Leone who is being tested to rule out Ebola.

She said the patient was in an acute medical assessment unit in a stable condition.

The helicopter had landed on the road outside the hospital because the patient was able to walk and did not require an ambulance.

Plans for the transfer were arranged at some stage last night, the spokeswoman said.

St John head of operational support Murray Holt said the 16-hour transfer operation involved flying a specialised helicopter from Northland to pick up trained staff in Auckland and Palmerston North before landing at the woman's home.

The mission was similar to their "worst case scenario" ebola emergency plan which imagined having to transport a patient from a remote South Island town to hospital, he said.

Staff wore full protective gear throughout including gloves, face masks and booties.

The woman was placed in an isolation pod at her home which she remained in until she reached her room at Christchurch Hospital.

Holt said the patient's partner was not transported to hospital as he wasn't showing any symptoms of Ebola.

The patient arrived at hospital at 6.30am.

Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said on Friday night the patient had been in Sierra Leone as part of New Zealand's contribution to the international response to Ebola.

The patient left Sierra Leone on Sunday and, after becoming unwell on Friday morning, reported to the local public health officer, as part of a daily self-monitoring process.

"Based on the patient's symptoms, the Ebola virus needs to be ruled out," Coleman said.

"I am advised that it is quite possible they are suffering from gastroenteritis or some other illness such as malaria."

The patient would be cared for in a specialty isolation facility at Christchurch Hospital and blood samples will be sent to a high security reference laboratory in Melbourne for testing.

Coleman said the patient, who was South Island based, had "settled in well after being admitted to hospital".

Test results to rule out Ebola were expected back on Sunday.

"The patient's partner continues to self monitor at home. Support is being provided to the family," Coleman said.

Canterbury District Health Board Chief Medical Officer of Health Nigel Millar said the CDHB were "treating this as if it's a case [of Ebola]".

He said the nurse was transferred to Christchurch as it was one of three centres set up to deal with possible Ebola cases in New Zealand - along with Auckland and Wellington.

Millar said a person was not infectious with Ebola "until they start exhibiting symptoms".

"And even then it can only be passed on by coming into contact with body fluids.

"Ebola is not easy to catch, as it's not spread through the air."

Millar declined to discuss the nurse's symptoms, other than to say she had a high fever.

Staff would continue to "monitor her condition" until test results were received on Sunday.

"We are quite comfortable with her condition at the present time," he said.