mbsl - Proud corporate sponsors for 30 years
for Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopters
We know we are extremely lucky to have such a wonderful service in our community and are in awe of the amazingly brave men and women who daily help others in their time of extreme need.
The dedication of the operational & support staff to ensure the air rescue services can be provided to Greater Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel, is second to none. Their professionalism, commitment, and determination to guarantee help when we need it, is to be commended.
Just as we may need their support one day, they need corporate support and communities to keep this vital service to stay in the sky to save lives.
About Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter
Formerly known as the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust (ARHT), the organisation was established in 1970 and is recognised as the world's first civilian aeromedical rescue helicopter service. Today, it operates three dedicated Auckland and Coromandel Westpac Rescue Helicopters—including two state-of-the-art Leonardo AW169 helicopters and one BK117—as well as a Rapid Response Vehicle, providing critical emergency rescue and medical services across the region.
Flight crews consist of highly skilled and experienced Pilots, Air Crew Officers, and Critical Care or Intensive Care Paramedics. Being the first civilian helicopter service in New Zealand to fly with Pre-Hospital and Retrieval Medicine Doctors on board has meant they can perform procedures usually reserved for the emergency room from the moment they touch down. Their helicopters were also the first to carry blood on-board, allowing patients to receive blood transfusions on route to hospital.
Mission numbers continue to grow, having undertaken 1,034 in 2025 from their Ardmore base
Working 24/7, 365 days of the year, the rescue service covers the greater Auckland area, Northland and the Coromandel.
Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopters, proudly owned and operated by Northern Rescue
is a charitable community-supported service and relies primarily on the goodwill of the communities they help to ensure they can provide, vital, life-saving care when patients need them the most.
To help Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopters to stay in the skies please visit https://www.rescuehelicopter.org.nz/ - or call 0800 4 RESCUE
Source: Author - Theresa Clapp - 22 August 2022 - updated 2 July 2026
