Your Local Life Saving Service
The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust is a registered charity, established to provide a dedicated Rescue Helicopter service to the Hawke’s Bay. Each year our crew assists in nearly 400 missions within the region, with over 80% of these missions providing urgent medical assistance.
ABOUT US
The Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust
The Wallace Foundation Rescue Helicopter Service.
The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust is a registered charity dedicated to providing a vital rescue helicopter service across the Hawke’s Bay region.
Each year, our highly skilled crew responds to nearly 400 missions, with more than 80% involving urgent medical assistance at accident scenes or the transfer of critically ill patients between hospitals. These missions provide critical care when every second counts.
In addition to emergency medical response, our rescue helicopter supports Police operations, national search and rescue missions, training exercises, and public demonstrations. Our service area extends from the Takapau Plains and Porangahau in the south to Waikaremoana and the Mahia Peninsula in the northeast.
Our life-saving service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and is provided free of charge to everyone in our community.
Unlike other emergency services, the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust relies on charitable funding to remain operational. We must raise approximately $1.4 million each year to keep our helicopter in the air and our crews ready to respond. The continued generosity of individuals, businesses, and community partners makes it possible for us to save lives across the region.
Our Mission
The provision of a dedicated Rescue Helicopter service to those who require urgent medical, or search and rescue support in the Hawke’s Bay Region, and to keep our services free and available 24/7 to everyone in our community.
Our Vision
To improve patient outcomes through the provision of an outstanding Rescue Helicopter service to the people of Hawke’s Bay.
Our Values
Our organisation values: professionalism, safety, teamwork and inclusiveness.
A COMMUNITYY-FUNDED CHARITY
Our History
The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter was established in 1984 to provide a dedicated rescue helicopter service to Hawke’s Bay. Read on to find out how our life saving service started.
The late 1960s
In the 1960’s, local helicopters that were used for agricultural work (primarily spraying of crops) in Hawke’s Bay would be called in to help when helicopter retrieval and transport was required for patients.
Spraying gear would be taken out of the helicopter and replaced with a stretcher for the patient. Very often, the stretcher was mounted onto the helicopter skids, and once airborne, communication with the patient was almost impossible due to the noise of the helicopter and the wind.
The helicopter would normally take the patient to a waiting ambulance before being transported to hospital by road.
The 1970s
In 1971, the first Rescue Helicopter service in New Zealand was launched on Auckland’s west coast. In Hawke’s Bay, the local agricultural helicopters would attend around 20-30 rescues each year.
The 1980's
In 1984, the Hawke’s Bay Helicopter Rescue Trust was established by a group of community-minded individuals, set up by Chief Inspector Paul Wiseman. This group included representatives from the Porangahau Diving Club, Waimarama Surf Club, Police, Civil Defense, as well as existing members Noel Houston, Garrie Griffiths, and Trauma Doctors Forbes Bennett and Greg Beecham
The group identified the need for a dedicated retrieval and transportation system for critically ill patients in the Hawke’s Bay Region, with Dr Bennet and Dr Ward from Hasting Hospital particularly committed to the ‘golden hour’ theory of getting severely injured people to a medical facility within 60 minutes for the best chance of survival.
The Rescue Helicopter service was initially established primarily for water rescues but in 1989 expanded to involve patient transfers, police searches, accident recovery and marine emergencies.
In 1985 a CAA approved helicopter pad was completed at the Hastings Hospital (now named the Hawke’s Bay Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital).
A Bell Jet Ranger helicopter, owned by Wanganui Aero Works, was used for the rescues and in 1989 the machine was sold to Mike Groome of Te Onepu Helicopters and continued doing part time rescue work.
The 1990s
In 1991, the Trust set up a new dedicated service.
A dedicated Eurocopter AS350BA “Squirrel” helicopter was used and sponsorship support came from Lowe Walker NZ Ltd.
In 1992, the first helicopter hangar was built at the Hawke’s Bay Regional Hospital and in 2001 a larger facility was established in the hospital grounds. The hangars were built with generous support from the Lowe Family, Hawke’s Bay businesses and the community.
In 1997, Lowe Walker changed their company and the service was thereafter known as the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter Service and the Lowe Corporation were the Trust’s Principal Sponsor for many years.
The 2000 and 2010s
The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust continues to save lives and expand its capabilities, thanks to the generous support and contributions made by individuals, groups, businesses and sponsors within the Hawke’s Bay community.
In 2009, the Trust moved from a single engine Squirrel to a twin engine BK117 rescue helicopter option. The main reasons for the change were to comply with Civil Aviation (CAA) rules on flying over built up areas, greater access to patients in flight, and the ability to carry additional personnel on missions; greater weight and performance. The BK117 has enabled the Trust to future proof an essential service for the Hawke’s Bay region.
In late 2018, we moved to a modern BK-117D2. This was in response to ACC and Ministry of Health’s plan for a modernization of the Rescue Helicopter Service nationwide. This modern helicopter was extensively refurbished with all of the very latest safety equipment and navigational equipment.
The Present Day
In mid-2026, the service entered a new era with the introduction of a state-of-the-art Airbus H145, jointly funded by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora and the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).
Recognised as the gold standard in emergency air services, the H145 brings significant advancements in safety, performance, and patient care. Its modern avionics suite and Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) capability enable crews to operate more safely and reliably in challenging weather conditions, increasing the availability of this vital service when it is needed most.
The helicopter’s larger cabin provides additional space for critical care treatment during flight, while tail and rear-mounted cameras enhance situational awareness and operational safety. Advanced weather radar technology also helps pilots identify and avoid hazardous conditions, supporting even safer and more efficient missions throughout the Hawke’s Bay region.
Arrival of the H145 represents a major investment in the future of emergency rescue and medical transport, ensuring our communities continue to have access to world-class aeromedical services for years to come. A new principal sponsor comes on board with the new H145 and we are now proudly the Wallace Foundation Rescue Helicopter Service.
Help keep the Wallace Foundation Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter flying.
Together, we can ensure this essential service is here when our community needs it most