Lowe signs up again for rescue chopper

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter Service is set to continue under this name until at least 2015.

Graeme Lowe's legacy, which began in 1992, was set to continue with the confirmation by his son, Andy Lowe, that the Lowe Corporation support of the Service would continue.

Hawke's Bay Helicopter Rescue Trust chairman Alison McEwan said the organisation was delighted to have the long-term sponsorship renewed. "Our service is dependent on public funding and to know that a significant portion of our annual funding gap is covered by the Lowe Corporation is hugely encouraging," Ms McEwan said.

The service operated 24 hours, seven days a week, and was free to everyone in the Hawke's Bay region. Every year over 300 rescue missions help those in need of urgent medical care and transportation.

The service has a $2.2 million annual operating budget and recovers $1 million in fees charged for service, leaving a $1.2 million funding gap. Since 1992, Graeme Lowe and Lowe Corporation has been the Rescue Helicopter Service's single largest contributor.

"The motivation for supporting the service hasn't changed since my father made his decision 20 years ago," Andy Lowe, managing director of Lowe Corporation, said. "We believe Hawke's Bay needs a dedicated rescue service. A huge number of our residents live rurally or remote from the main centres and often patients require urgent transfer to other tertiary hospitals. The service means we can all have access to the right medical care or emergency rescue."

Last year the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter undertook 310 missions. The majority of missions were inter-hospital transfers for acute conditions such as heart conditions, neurosurgical and plastic surgery.

It also undertook ACC emergency flights such as motor vehicle accidents, farm, work-related accidents and leisure injuries.