Did you know that a third of all rescues happen in the most isolated place of all, rural New Zealand? Westpac has been sponsoring the Rescue Helicopters for over 28 years, and over this time have supported in excess of 35,000 missions.
Rescue Helicopter services provide a dedicated 24-hour, seven day a week service. Getting to hospital quickly can mean the difference between life and death. The manoeuvrability of helicopters also means they can get to places that road and sea rescue vehicles cannot reach.
But this great service doesn’t come cheap! The running costs for most helicopter rescues are between $2,500 and $7,000 per hour. In addition to our sponsorship, for the last five years we’ve organised the Westpac Chopper Appeal. During the month of May we utilise our national network of branches to coordinate fundraising and promotional activities for the regional Rescue Helicopter trusts.
The Westpac Chopper Appeal raises money for Rescue Helicopter Trusts all over New Zealand. All money raised in each area will go back to that area’s local Rescue Helicopter Trust. So if you donate in Hamilton, it will go back to the Waikato Rescue Helicopter.
We’re pleased to report that in this year’s appeal we raised over $1.1 million for this much needed service. Thank you to everyone that contributed to help us achieve our goal.
