CallCare is a live answering service in Blenheim that has answered calls for New Zealand businesses since 1993. Real receptionists greet callers in your business name, take messages and, on higher plans, transfer calls and dispatch jobs.

Pricing is the hard part. CallCare lists three plans on its pricing page, Lite, Freedom and Complete, but no plan fees. What it does publish is a floor of NZ$2.10 a call and a NZ$50 setup fee. This guide uses only those published figures to work out what 50, 150 and 400 calls a month cost, then sets that against a flat-price option.

We build Help Genie, so weigh our entry accordingly. We also say plainly where a human service like CallCare is the better buy.

What CallCare publishes, as of September 2026

Here is every price we could find on callcare.co.nz.

• From NZ$2.10 per call. “Solutions from just $2.10 per call”, on the why CallCare page.
• NZ$50 setup. “One low $50 setup fee across all plans”, same page.
• From NZ$19 a month. “Solutions from just $19/month” and “pay-as-you-go options”, on the about page.
• 0800 number. NZ$50 a month plus GST, bundled with any plan, per the pricing page.
• New customer offer. Save up to NZ$60 a month on message-taking plans for three months, per the offer page.

GST. CallCare’s terms say all fees in its price list exclude GST. Add 15 percent to every figure on this page.

What is not published. The monthly fee for Lite, Freedom and Complete. How many calls each includes. The per-call rate for transfer, booking or dispatch plans. You get those from the quote form or 0800 22 55 22.

The three CallCare plans

Lite is simple message taking. Callers are greeted in your business name, basic questions are answered, and messages go out by SMS or email to as many staff as you like.

Freedom adds call transfers, an extra business name greeting, simple web forms, an emergency response call sequence, custom queue messages and roster updates.

Complete adds complex calendar management, outbound rescheduling and reminders, and complex call procedures.

Every plan includes 24-hour call handling, calls answered in New Zealand and a monthly billing report. There is no minimum term. You cancel with 30 days notice, per the FAQ. The 7-day free trial runs on Lite.

What is included at no extra charge

CallCare’s “inclusive pricing” list is one of its best points. There is no extra charge for after-hours calls, for sending messages by SMS, or for call transfers within New Zealand.

It also filters junk. Calls under 5 seconds cost nothing, telemarketing calls are not charged, and you can block unwanted numbers. Many per-call services bill every connected call, so this matters.

Who owns CallCare

OfficeHQ, the Australian group behind ReceptionHQ, acquired Call Care NZ in October 2023. CallCare’s terms now name the supplier as ReceptionHQ Ltd trading as CallCare. The brand, the Blenheim team and the all-NZ answering have stayed.

That makes ReceptionHQ’s published NZ price sheet a useful reference point, since it comes from the same company. Our ReceptionHQ alternatives guide covers it in full.

What CallCare costs at 50, 150 and 400 calls

We only use published figures, so the CallCare numbers below are the minimum call charges at NZ$2.10 a call. Your plan fee comes on top, and transfer or booking plans are likely to cost more per call. All figures exclude GST.

Calls a month	CallCare call charges at NZ$2.10	ReceptionHQ MessageExpress	ReceptionHQ MyReceptionist	Help Genie Pro
50	NZ$105 plus plan fee	NZ$95	NZ$149	NZ$299 flat
150	NZ$315 plus plan fee	NZ$262.50	NZ$399	NZ$299 flat
400	NZ$840 plus plan fee	NZ$625	NZ$1,025	NZ$299 flat

ReceptionHQ figures use its cheapest published bundle for each volume, from its message-taking and receptionist pages. At 150 calls that is MessageExpress 100 plus 50 extra calls at NZ$1.95. Add CallCare’s NZ$50 setup once in the first month.

At 50 calls, CallCare is clearly cheaper than a flat NZ$299. Even with GST and a modest plan fee, a human message service wins on price.

At 150 calls, call charges alone reach NZ$315 before any plan fee or GST. That is past NZ$299.

At 400 calls, call charges alone are NZ$840 before plan fee and GST, nearly three times a flat NZ$299.

The crossover on call charges alone sits around 140 calls a month, since NZ$299 divided by NZ$2.10 is about 142. Busy months move you past it faster. The ROI calculator helps you add the value of calls you currently miss.

Where a human service genuinely wins

Low volume. Under about 100 calls a month, a per-call human service usually costs less than any flat plan with a phone number.

Callers who want a person. Some customers hang up on any automated voice. A trained receptionist greeting them in your business name keeps them on the line.

Judgement and empathy. Distressed callers, complaints and unusual situations still go better with a person.

Emergency dispatch. CallCare’s Freedom plan includes an emergency response call sequence, and its Blenheim team knows New Zealand geography for sending jobs to the right place.

All-NZ answering. CallCare says every receptionist is in Blenheim. If local answering is a hard requirement, that settles it.

Where alternatives win

Volume and busy months. A flat price does not rise when the phone gets busy. Help Genie Pro is NZ$299 a month with no per-call or per-minute meter.

Product questions. A message service takes the question down for you to answer later. A genie trained on your manuals and price lists answers it on the call, then hands the rest to your team with context. See product support.

More than the phone. The same genie covers your website, QR codes and email. See how it works.

Help Genie (disclosure, our product) is voice AI, not a human team. It suits businesses that sell, rent, service or support physical products. Ring the demo line on +64 9 886 4856 or hear it work.

Other AI options. Hey Jodie sells AI call answering in NZ from NZ$99 a month with unlimited minutes. Our Hey Jodie alternatives guide compares it.

Questions to ask CallCare before you sign

1. What is the monthly fee for my plan, and how many calls does it include?
2. What does each call cost past the included number?
3. Does the NZ$2.10 rate apply to Lite only, or to Freedom and Complete too?
4. Which prices change during the three-month new customer discount, and what applies after?
5. Are the quotes plus GST? CallCare’s terms say they are.

Frequently asked questions

How much does CallCare cost? CallCare publishes a floor of NZ$2.10 per call and a NZ$50 setup fee, both plus GST. Plan fees for Lite, Freedom and Complete are quote-only.

Does CallCare charge for after-hours calls? No. CallCare says there is no extra charge for after-hours calls, SMS messages or transfers within New Zealand.

Is CallCare part of ReceptionHQ? Yes. OfficeHQ bought Call Care NZ in October 2023, and CallCare’s terms name ReceptionHQ Ltd trading as CallCare. The Blenheim team and brand remain.

Is there a contract? No minimum term. Service is month-to-month with 30 days notice to cancel.

Are there reviews of CallCare? Few independent ones. We found a single five-star review on ServiceFinder. Most testimonials sit on CallCare’s own site, so use the free trial as your real test.

Is Help Genie cheaper than CallCare? Below about 140 calls a month, probably not. Above that, Help Genie Pro’s flat NZ$299 usually costs less than CallCare’s published per-call floor.

The bottom line

CallCare is a solid choice for low-volume message taking with every call answered in New Zealand. The inclusive pricing and spam rules are genuinely good.

Its weak spot is transparency. Only the NZ$2.10 floor and NZ$50 setup are public, so get the plan fee and per-call rate in writing, plus GST. If your volume sits above 150 calls, or callers ask real product questions, compare it against a flat price. More options live on our compare page.

Put your website address in the box below and see your own genie in a few minutes.