Not only can you win this Ford Ranger Wildtrak, but you can also help save a life by buying a Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust Drive, Ride, Play lottery ticket. Photo / Simon Cartwright Photography
Not only can you win this Ford Ranger Wildtrak, but you can also help save a life by buying a Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust Drive, Ride, Play lottery ticket. Photo / Simon Cartwright Photography
The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust’s (HBRHT) successful car lottery, which they ran as a fundraiser in 2023, has inspired them to give it a shot again with bigger and better prizes.
The trust ran the 2023 lottery to raise awareness of its life-saving service and trial a new source of fundraising to support it. The fundraiser helped HBRHT reconnect with the community and allowed winning a “cool prize”.
HBRHT CEO Andy Quayle said, “Given the response the first time round, we were keen to run a further lottery - the Drive, Ride, Play lottery - and give people a second chance to win big and support our life-saving service.”
While a free service to the public and those in need, each helicopter rescue mission run by HBRHT costs an average of $8000. With more than 400 rescues performed a year in Hawke’s Bay, that cost quickly adds up.
As an organisation that runs completely on donations, the lottery is a fundraiser that not only entices people to donate but also gives three winners one of three Hawke’s Bay-oriented prizes.
The trust reached out to all those who had purchased a ticket in 2023 to receive feedback on the lottery and prizes. Based on that feedback, they decided to change the type and number of prizes.
Buy a lottery ticket, help save a life and possibly win two new electric mountain bikes and two HBMTBC Adult Memberships. Photo / Simon Cartwright Photography
Quayle said, “We had a great response to the Mustang lottery, but saw the opportunity to change up the prize offering and create a new lottery that provided a more ‘Hawke’s Bay’ oriented prize package.”
The trust is grateful for the support it receives from the local business community. Currently, businesses support the rescue chopper through monthly or annual sponsorship, including local businesses that have provided prizes for the new lottery.
When asked if he thought the Ford Ranger would entice more people than last year’s electric Mustang, Quayle said, “The E-Mach Mustang was a fantastic opportunity for us as it was new to the country and had just been released, but there is nothing as iconic as a Ford Ranger.”
Tickets for the Drive, Ride, Play lottery will go on sale at 12.01am on Monday, July 1. They can be purchased through the HBRHT website, www.hbhrt.org.nz, or by texting ‘CHOPPER’ to 8555 to receive a link to purchase.
Tickets will cost $45 each and those interested can purchase as many tickets as they can afford, and each ticket purchased puts you in the draw to win one of the three prizes.
The Apple tech pack of your dreams is up for grabs in the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust Drive, Ride, Play lottery. Photo / Simon Cartwright Photography
Generating fundraising income from promotions like the lottery helps keep the service free and available 24/7 to everyone across Hawke’s Bay.
CEO Quayle said fundraisers like the lottery are important to keep the HBRHT running. Its completes more than 400 rescue missions a year, including inter-hospital transfers, search and rescue missions, and pre-hospital missions from accidents and health emergencies.
“No one ever pays to use the service. In a life-and-death situation, every minute counts, and helicopter rescue - especially in rural or remote locations - is often the patient’s only chance for survival,” he said.
“During Cyclone Gabrielle we were the first winch-capable helicopter in the air, and the majority of the winch rescues took place in the first 12 hours.
“Funding for our organisation means that we are ready and available to help, whether it is a natural disaster or a regular day.
“By supporting this lottery, you not only get in the draw to win some pretty cool prizes, but you are also helping our team be available when you need them most.”
2024 HBRHT Drive, Ride, Play lottery prizes:
1st prize winner will be driving home in style with:
A Ford Ranger Wildtrak 3.0l V6 4WD valued at $86,500 (inc GST).
2nd prize winner will bike away with:
A Scott Strike Eride 940 mountain bike – Large frame (Blue),
A Scott Strike Eride Contessa 930 mountain bike – Medium frame (Bronze) and
2 x HBMTBC Adult Membership (2024 / 2025) all valued at $15,150 (inc GST).
3rd prize winner will be walking away with the Apple tech pack of their dreams, including:
MacBook Air 13″, iPhone 15 28gb, iPad 10.2 wifi, Apple watch 45mm and Apple TV 64gb, all valued at $5175 (inc GST).
Maddisyn Jeffares became the editor of the Hawke’s Bay community papers Hastings Leader and Napier Courier in 2023 after writing at the Hastings Leader for almost a year. She has been a reporter with NZME for almost three years and has a strong focus on what’s going on in communities, good and bad, big and small. Email news tips to her at: maddisyn.jeffares@nzme.co.nz.
