Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust

The Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust is a charity in New Plymouth, New Zealand. It is responsible for providing an emergency rescue helicopter service for the Taranaki community, with air ambulance and search and rescue missions.

Services

The site lists these roles for the helicopter:

• Emergency air ambulance response
• Moving patients between hospitals
• Search and rescue at sea, off shore and in the mountains
• Winch operations and night operations
• Searches for emergency beacons

Aircraft

The trust describes its helicopter as a twin engine Bolkow Kawasaki BK117 B-2. The site says it has a stretcher kit, a 250 foot winch, night vision goggles and sliding doors on both sides. It seats up to nine people, counting the pilot, crew member, patient and paramedic.

Recent activity

The trust reports 341 missions between January and December 2025. Of these, 125 were emergency, accident or medical missions, 194 were hospital transfers and 22 were search and rescue. It reports 460 hours of total flight time.

Facts

• Type: regional charitable trust providing a rescue and air ambulance helicopter service
• Hangar: Taranaki Base Hospital, New Plymouth
• Aircraft: helicopter (BK117 B-2)
• Named on the Search and Rescue Services Ltd website as a regional partner

Who it is for

The service is for people in the Taranaki region who face a life threatening emergency or who need to be moved to another hospital. The trust says the helicopter gives fast air rescue and medical help to the community.