Livestock to aid rescue chopper

Farmers in the Bay of Plenty are urged to turn their livestock into "lifestock" with the launch of a new fundraising initiative.

Tauranga's Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter is one of several rescue helicopters throughout the North Island to benefit from the Greenlea Flight for Life, a new fundraising initiative developed specifically for the rural community.

The Greenlea Flight for Life is open to anyone with cattle that require processing, enabling them to donate a beast to their local rescue helicopter at the time of processing with Greenlea.

Any number of cattle or a set dollar value can be donated at the time of kill, with 100 per cent of the donation going to the rescue helicopter.

Greenlea managing director Tony Egan said the team saw a need to put something sound back into the rural community and contributed $600,000 to kick-start the initiative.

"With a client base covering the North Island, we are confident that Greenlea will make a valuable contribution and facilitate others to do so too," Mr Egan said.

Funds collected will be directed back to the rescue helicopter trust where the livestock was supplied.

Marketing and fundraising manager for Philips Search & Rescue Trust Kylie Harcourt said just under 40 per cent of all our air ambulance missions were rural related.

"We wanted to create a fundraising campaign that resonated with the rural community and made donating easy through Greenlea. We were conjuring up ideas of cattle being rescued by choppers, rump steak rotors and chops for choppers."

Philips Search & Rescue Trust operates the North Island's largest pool of rescue helicopters with bases in Hamilton, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo and Tauranga.