Westpac Helicopter Lands at HBHS

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter made a scheduled stop today at 11.00 am on the No. 1 rugby field at Hamilton Boys' High School.  Hundreds of Year 9 and 10 boys used the opportunity to have a close look at the interior of the vehicle and talk to the pilot.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter service provides 24-hour, seven day a week service.  This service often makes a life or death difference to thousands of New Zealanders. 

A Westpac Rescue Helicopter is necessary when

• a patient is very sick or badly injured
• medics think getting to hospital will make a big difference
• an accident has occurred in a difficult location

Westpac Rescue Helicopters are like a fully equipped intensive care unit in the sky.  From a defribullator for a premature baby to full life support systems, Westpac Resuce Helicopters are equipped to deal with any situation.

Rescue Helicopter History

1950: Helicopters were first used by the military for rescues in the Korean War.  They were ideal for quickly transferring wounded soldiers from combat zones to medical stations.

1963: The first known civilian helicopter rescue in New Zealand was made.  Flying a Sikorsky S55, Nelson pilot John Reid picked up a young woman who had been injured while caving.

1970: The first New Zealand rescue helicopter service was set up on Auckland's west coast in the 1970-71 summer.  Pilot George Sobiecki suggested to Auckland Surf Lifesaving Associates (ASLA) he could run a summer beach rescue service in his HIller 12B helicopter.

It was the world's first civilian helicopter rescue service controled and operated by a surf life saving associating.  The service allowed lifeguards to rescue people from the surf quickly and to return them to shore.  There were eleven rescues in the first year.

1975: Pioneer helicopter pilot Peter Button started the first rescue helicopter in Wellington.  Button set up commercial helicopter company Capital Helicopters in 1975, making them available for emergencies.

1981: Button aimed to provide a dedicateed rescue helicopter service for Wellington.  In 1981, sponsorship by the Commercial Band of Australia (CBA) meant Capital Helicopter's Bell 206B could be dedicated to rescues.

With the 1982 merger of CBA and Westpac, it became the Wellington Westpac Rescue Helicopter.  It was repainted with the now trademark red and yellow.

Auckland's surf rescue helicopter service moved from a Piha caravan to ASLA headquarters, a cargo shed at Auckland's Viaduct.

1985: On January 31, the Auckland service reached 1000 rescues since its inception 15 years earlier.

1986: The Christchurch service began with the establishment of the Canterbury and West Coast Air Rescue Trust.  Before this, local company Garden City Helicopters helped with rescues.  However, in 1986 the helicopter was called to a boat rescue off the Canterbury coast.  Without appropriate rescue equipment, the crew found the rescue challenging and had to make do with ropes and life jackets.

An independent trust was subsequently established to rase funds for the service.  Trust Bank sponsored the Christchurch service from the beginning, with Westpac taking over in 1992.

1987: Waikato's Airt Ambulance service began operating from Waikato Hospital in October 1987.  The service was needed in the region which is mainly rural with extensive forest, bush and open roads. 

Waikato hospital doctors recognised a need for an aero-medical service for emergency inter-hospital transfers - especially for newborns, heart attack and accident victims.