Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust

The Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter Trust is a charity that supports the Nelson Marlborough Westpac Rescue Helicopter in Nelson, New Zealand. The website says the service responds to over 400 missions a year across Te Tauihu, the Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough and Buller regions.

The helicopter is on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The website says the service watches over more than 200,000 residents and visitors in a region with rugged coastlines, alpine peaks and wide rural areas.

Missions fall into four groups: pre-hospital medical (31%), pre-hospital trauma (39%), search and rescue (8%) and inter-hospital transfers (22%). Our rescue crews can provide advanced care to patients much faster.

An Airbus H145 helicopter has been purchased for the region. The trust needs to raise $1.1m for the specialist equipment and training the new helicopter needs, ready for lift-off in 2026.

The website highlights $45,000 as the cost of one set of night vision goggles. Donations, equipment, fundraising, volunteering and legacies are ways to support the trust.

The trust is listed with the Charities Commission. Its office is in Nelson and its hangar is at Nelson Airport.

Associate sponsors include Nelson Pine, Tasman Pine and NBS, and funding partners include Air Rescue Services, NZCT, Pub Charity and the Lion Foundation.

Services

• Rescue helicopter service
• Search and rescue
• Inter-hospital transfers
• Pre-hospital medical and trauma response
• Fundraising
• Donations
• Volunteering
• Ground crew