Westpac Chopper Appeal raised over $15,000 for Eastland Rescue Helicopter

In an early callout to the East Coast, the Trust Tairawhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Ruatōria in the early hours of last Wednesday morning.

In the face of a tough year and a community that has faced big demands in charitable support, the Westpac Chopper Appeal raised a healthy amount for the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust.

The annual appeal is held every May and last year resulted in a $12,109 donation to EHRT for its work in supporting the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter.

This year the local donation was $15,580 - nearly 29 percent more than in 2023 – in an upswing of support recorded around the country.

In total, New Zealanders raised $1.44m for the national network of rescue helicopters.

“The amount raised by New Zealand communities, despite cost of living challenges, shows the generosity of New Zealanders and how much we all value our chopper crews,” Westpac NZ chief executive Catherine McGrath said.

As well as sponsoring rescue helicopters in other regions, Westpac funds the marketing and administration costs of the Chopper Appeal and distributes funds back to rescue helicopter trusts.

Raised largely through a combination of in-bank efforts, street appeals and The Rock The Chopper fundraising gig, the local effort was co-ordinated by Westpac Gisborne banking specialist Nadia Dal Col.

“What’s important is that while Westpac is an international bank, this annual fundraiser is entirely local,” she said.

McGrath said the annual appeal highlighted the importance of the helicopter network in ensuring critical medical and rescue help is never far away, even in the most remote locations.

“We’ve heard from patients that when you’re in need of a lifesaving medical transfer, or stuck in the wilderness, the sound of the helicopter approaching is the most wonderful sound of all.”

The weekly mission report for the Eastland Rescue Helicopter shows three reportable missions -

September 16, 10.50pm: Responded to a trauma at Te Araroa from where the patient was flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

September 18, 2.55am: Again flew in darkness when dispatched to a medical event at Ruatōria, transporting a patient in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

September 20, 3pm: Called to a medical event at Te Araroa from where the patient was flown in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.