.gif)
Westpac Rescue Helicopter (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
accident and emergency rescue and transport service operated by the Auckland Regional Rescue Helicopter Trust. The Trust operates two BK117-850 D2 helicopters on behalf of the helicopter owners - the greater Auckland community. Note that there are four 'Westpac Rescue Helicopter' services in New Zealand, but they are all separate entities and only linked by the same major sponsor.
The aircraft and crew are trained and equipped to operate day and night, their missions range from emergency/accident casualty transport, to medical transfers / medevac
MEDEVAC
Medical evacuation, often termed Medevac or Medivac, is the timely and efficient movement and en route care provided by medical personnel to the wounded being evacuated from the battlefield or to injured patients being evacuated from the scene of an accident to receiving medical facilities using...
s to rescue searches and airlifts. They do a total of about 2,000 missions per year, of which about 50% are flown at night.
Helicopters
- Auckland: ZK-HLN & ZK-HKZ - BK117-850 D2's MBB-Kawasaki operated by Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (*)
- Hamilton: ZK-HZQ - Bell 222BBell 222The Bell 222 is a twin-engined light helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. The Bell 230 is an improved development with different engines and other minor changes. A cosmetically modified version of the 222 was used as the titular aircraft in the US television series Airwolf.-Development:In the late...
operated by Philips Search & Rescue Trust - Wellington: ZK-HLF - BK 117-B2 MBB-Kawasaki operated by The Life Flight Trust
- Christchurch: ZK-HJC - BK 117-B2 MBB-Kawasaki operated by Garden City Helicopters
Funding
The helicopters have numerous financial supporters in the community and corporate sectors as they are only partially Government funded. The main naming rights sponsor is the AustralasiaAustralasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
n bank Westpac
Westpac
Westpac , is a multinational financial services, one of the Australian "big four" banks and the second-largest bank in New Zealand....
. The sponsorship began in 1981 when Westpac sponsored the Wellington helicopter service.
Incidents
On 20 November 1987, the Wellington Westpac Rescue Helicopter, Bell JetRanger ZK-HKF, drifted into high tension power lines over the Ngauranga GorgeNgauranga Gorge
The Ngauranga Gorge is in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. State Highway 1 runs through the gorge, a vital link between Wellington City and the Kapiti Coast and the main route north out of Wellington. It is 2 kilometres long and has a grade of approximately 8%...
while assisting police in locating an escaped prisoner. The main rotor cut the wire, part of the cable wrapped itself around the tail of the helicopter, and both rotor blades broke off. The crash killed pilot Peter Button
Peter Button
Peter Thomas Button OBE was a pioneering rescue helicopter pilot in Wellington, New Zealand. Button established the firm Capital Helicopters in 1975 and made his aircraft available for use in emergencies...
and the two passengers, and destroyed the aircraft. Button brought the rescue service to Wellington.