Grassroots Trust rescue helicopter reveals busiest months and call-outs

The Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter on a mission at Tōtara Park in Manawatū.

March was the busiest month of 2025 for the Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter crew, with 49 missions flown across the Whanganui and Manawatū region.

The helicopter crew responds to emergencies ranging from serious medical events and accidents to search-and-rescue operations in remote and challenging environments, a spokeswoman said.

Last year, it completed 407 missions with 21 patients transported to hospital for urgent care and 38 patients transported following motor vehicle accidents.

The crew was involved in 142 rural, remote or search and rescue operations, undertook 103 inter‑hospital transfers and carried out 103 miscellaneous missions.

“Behind every statistic is a person in need,” the spokeswoman said.

She highlighted some of the missions the crew worked on in the Whanganui area during the year.

On January 9, the crew was sent to Kākātahi for a male who had sustained critical injuries following a motorbike-related accident. The on-board crew stabilised the patient at the scene before airlifting him to Whanganui Hospital for further treatment.

February was a busy month with 47 missions.

“March was the busiest month of the year for the crew, who carried out 49 missions across the region,” the spokeswoman said.

“In the following months, the crew remained in high demand.”

On June 6, the helicopter was tasked to Ohakune for a female who had sustained injuries in a motor vehicle accident. The patient was transported via helicopter to Whanganui Hospital for further treatment.

Later that afternoon, the crew returned to Ohakune for a male who had been injured in a fall. The patient was airlifted to Whanganui Hospital for further medical care.

On November 12, the helicopter was tasked to the Whanganui River, where a woman was experiencing a sudden medical emergency.

“Given the remote and inaccessible terrain, the on-board rescue crew determined that a winch extraction was required to deliver the critical medical care the patient required.”

The woman was then flown to Whanganui Hospital to receive further treatment.

“Each of these missions represents a life touched, a family supported and a community strengthened,” the spokeswoman said.

Donations to the trust helped make the missions possible – “you never know when you or a loved one might need it”, she said.

Donations can be made at give.rescue.org.nz/event/grassroots-trust-rescue-helicopter/donate.