Gisborne Herald
  • Gisborne Herald Home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Lifestyle
  • Sport

Locations

  • Gisborne
  • Bay of Plenty
  • Hawke's Bay

Media

  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Gisborne Herald

Hectic week for Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue chopper team

Gisborne Herald
27 Dec, 2023 08:15 AMQuick Read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
CHRISTMAS GREY: While whanau in Gisborne were enjoying a sunny Christmas Day, members of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team headed to a much cloudier Hicks Bay for one of the many missions flown during the week.
CHRISTMAS GREY: While whanau in Gisborne were enjoying a sunny Christmas Day, members of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team headed to a much cloudier Hicks Bay for one of the many missions flown during the week.

CHRISTMAS GREY: While whanau in Gisborne were enjoying a sunny Christmas Day, members of the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team headed to a much cloudier Hicks Bay for one of the many missions flown during the week.

A near-drowning, a motor vehicle accident, a trauma injury and four medical events made up a hectic Christmas list for the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter in the week to the early hours of Boxing Day.

Those were not the only rescues flown in the region over that period. While the Tairāwhiti team were off-base, a further four missions were covered by crews from partner North Island rescue helicopter services.

The local team also flew two unreportable missions, taking the total number of completed responses flown in the region to 13 for the week.

“Our Tairāwhiti team offer an amazing service but the reality is they can’t be in two places at one time,” Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust chair Patrick Willock said.

“So we’re incredibly grateful to have back-up from out-of-region teams supported by our partner trusts under the Search and Rescue Services Ltd banner.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The week started at 7.35am on Tuesday, December 19, when the Tairāwhiti rescue chopper responded to a medical event at Waipiro Bay. They flew the patient in a critical condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Around the same time the following day, they were dispatched to a medical event at Te Whare Hauora o Ngāti Porou/Te Puia Springs Hospital, this time flying the patient to Gisborne Hospital in a serious condition.

Saturday was a hectic day of flying with, at one point, four rescue helicopters in the region at the same time.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

That was due to a domino effect that started at around 2pm when the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was called from its Hastings base to help at the scene of a serious crash in the Waikato region.

Half an hour later the Eastland Rescue Helicopter was seconded to Hastings in response to a medical event. It flew the patient in a serious condition to Dannevirke for handover to the rescue helicopter crew dispatched to complete a transfer to Wellington.

That took the local aircraft off-base for nearly four hours. In that period, crews from partner North Island rescue helicopter services were dispatched to cover three missions in the Tairāwhiti region — an event inland from Manutuke (dispatched from Hastings at 4pm, patient flown to Gisborne Hospital); one at Ruatōria (dispatched from Rotorua at 4.50pm, patient flown to Gisborne Hospital); and another at Ruatōria (dispatched from Tauranga at 5.10pm, patient flown to Gisborne Hospital).

At 10.30am on Christmas Eve, the Tairāwhiti rescue chopper flew to Ruatoria in response to a motor vehicle accident. At 3pm, it was dispatched to Hicks Bay in response to a near-drowning.

Both patients were flown in stable conditions to Gisborne Hospital.

​While the team were in Hicks Bay, the Hastings crew returned to cover a mission to Tikitiki (dispatched 3.38pm).

On Christmas Day, the Trust Tairāwhiti rescue helicopter again flew to Hicks Bay — dispatched at 3pm in response to a trauma — with the patient flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

At 3am on Boxing Day, the team was called to a medical event in Waipiro Bay, flying the patient in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

“It is vital to operate a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service from our Gisborne hangar, but that does mean members of our team are away from their families and friends for special occasions like Christmas Day,” Mr Willock said.

“The demand is likely to be even stronger over the New Year period so, once again, we thank them for the life-saving service they offer our region every day of the year.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save
    Share this article

Latest from Gisborne Herald

Gisborne Herald

Landlord ordered to pay $3.7k after Tenancy Tribunal hearing

Gisborne Herald

'Vaccine hesitancy': What is being done to boost Tairāwhiti's ongoing low vaccination rate

Gisborne Herald

Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

Charity's ambition to launch Northland's first fully accessible fishing boat
Northern Advocate

Charity's ambition to launch Northland's first fully accessible fishing boat

All Blacks veteran taking Japan sabbatical, re-signs beyond World Cup
All Blacks

All Blacks veteran taking Japan sabbatical, re-signs beyond World Cup

Govt’s 500 police target delayed again as Australia poaching campaign considered
Politics

Govt’s 500 police target delayed again as Australia poaching campaign considered

'Standing up': Young defenders excel in Premier 1 netball
Whanganui Chronicle

'Standing up': Young defenders excel in Premier 1 netball

Let’s Have A Wee Chat: Why There’s No Need To Suffer In Silence From Bladder Leakage
Sponsored Stories

Let’s Have A Wee Chat: Why There’s No Need To Suffer In Silence From Bladder Leakage

Sydney jet ski crash: Teen dead, another loses arm
World

Sydney jet ski crash: Teen dead, another loses arm



Latest from Gisborne Herald

Landlord ordered to pay $3.7k after Tenancy Tribunal hearing
Gisborne Herald

Landlord ordered to pay $3.7k after Tenancy Tribunal hearing

Tribunal adjudicator awarded tenant $3727 for various breaches by landlord

22 Jul 05:00 PM
'Vaccine hesitancy': What is being done to boost Tairāwhiti's ongoing low vaccination rate
Gisborne Herald

'Vaccine hesitancy': What is being done to boost Tairāwhiti's ongoing low vaccination rate

22 Jul 06:00 AM
Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says
Gisborne Herald

Stuart Davis 'true embodiment' of Life Member award's spirit, Hort NZ says

21 Jul 11:44 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Gisborne Herald
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Gisborne Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search