Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter: Sea searches, stitches, and saving lives during 150 missions in 150 days

A simple ride on his son’s new motorbike turned into a life-saving air extraction for a Hawke’s Bay man, who just so happened to be part of the 150th mission in 150 days this year for the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter.

Ian McCoskery received a substantial gash and injuries to his leg during the ride near the small Central Hawke’s Bay settlement of Kairakau Beach, which is nearly an hour from Hastings Hospital.

“My son got [the bike] for his birthday present. I was sitting on the back, and we had a crash where it managed to damage my leg.”

Bleeding out, McCoskery and his family started making the trip in their car, but the risk of things deteriorating increased.

“We had a tourniquet around it, and we were driving into town and rang 111 on advice to stop the bleeding. They said they were going to send us a helicopter.

“We pulled in at Elsthorpe, where it met us and took me to hospital.”

Ian McCoskery is assisted by Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter staff near Elsthorpe after injuring his leg in a motorcycle accident. Photo / Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust

He said the helicopter was a sight for sore eyes for him and his family, and he was very grateful for the help.

“I was pretty glad we were going to be in town quicker than driving. We’d only just managed to get the bleeding under control. It was great to see them, that’s for sure.”

McCoskery’s situation was just one of the 150 attended to by rescue chopper staff within the first 150 days of 2024.

The first mission was on January 1, where the crew transported a child from Waipukurau after a fall from a bike.

Of the 150 missions conducted, 26 were for medical care, 76 for inter-hospital transport, 33 were accident-related and 15 for search and rescue.

Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust CEO Andy Quayle was immensely proud of his team for their dedication and hard work. He said the scale of missions in the year reinforced the need for the service.

“Completing 150 missions in 150 days reinforces the need for our local lifesaving service to support the wider Hawkes Bay community.

“It is a testament to the dedication and expertise our highly skilled pilots, crewman and critical care paramedics who work tirelessly to provide this rapid and effective emergency response to those in need.”

Rescue crews completed about 400 lifesaving missions each year and were on track to do the same in 2024.

Second-generation pilot Matt Wilson has been with the organisation since March 2023. He says no day is the same when it comes to saving lives.

“There’s such different variety in the work. It’s quite an exciting job because you never know where you will be or what you will be doing.

“It’s nice to be a part of the local community. Many of the people we help are people we know, like old clients and people from back in the agricultural days.”

Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter service second generation pilot Matt Wilson. Photo / Warren Buckland

Some of Wilson’s most challenging rescues this year were due to bad weather, particularly wind and sea conditions.

“People often don’t have accidents on great days, and the jobs don’t often happen in the best weather, so you do find yourself going out on some pretty average nights.”

The latter included multiple missions on April 1 searching for a fisherman lost overboard a long way offshore.

Wilson recalled the pager going off at 10pm and exiting the helicopter about 6am when the day crew took over.

“Even the off-duty crew came in and lent a hand. Everyone did what they could to help find the missing person.

“Sadly, we didn’t find him, and although it wasn’t the outcome we hoped, it was good to see the crew come together.”

Wilson said it was pretty rewarding to see people come in and thank the team for their efforts, especially if they had been assisted themselves.

“It’s neat. Obviously, you’re seeing them at one of the worst moments in their lives, so when they do come in after, it’s really neat to see them.”

The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust is a charity, and continues to need funding.

Wilson said running the chopper came at a significant cost.

“They aren’t cheap to run. You’re burning up to 300 litres of fuel an hour, and that’s not cheap.”

Quayle extended his “heartfelt thanks” to the community for its unwavering support, both financially and in spirit.

“This is critical to help our team reach individuals in inaccessible or hazardous locations, or in time critical situations, providing the ability to receive medical care and transport on what could be the worst day of their lives”.

Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in January 2023. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community. He has a particular love for stories about ordinary people doing extraordinary things.