Northland Rescue Helicopter's busiest year rewarded with record annual appeal amount

Generous people donated more than $360,000 to the annual Northland Rescue Helicopter Appeal.

The demand for the Northland Rescue Helicopter keeps growing, but how much the service is respected by the public has been revealed in the latest annual rescue chopper appeal results.

It was a record year for the service in 2021 and the Northland community has again come up trumps by donating more than $360,000 - the highest ever - to the Northland Rescue Helicopter annual fundraising appeal.

The total is up from $334,000 in 2020 and $246,000 in 2019, and reflects how much the Northland community values the rescue service.

Northland Emergency Services Trust chairman Paul Ahlers said he is immensely grateful for the ongoing generosity of Northlanders and visitors to the region over the summer break.

"We are always taken aback by the passion people have for the service and that shows in the fact they donate substantial amounts year after year," Ahlers said.

"We simply could not do what we do without this community support and the backing of our principal sponsors of 34 years – Top Energy and Northpower, Northland Regional Council and all of our other loyal sponsors.

"Then there are all those individuals and community groups and organisations and clubs who fundraise on our behalf. It all adds up and that is vital for a charity like ours."

Last year was the busiest on record for Northland's rescue helicopters with 1289 mission call-outs in the calendar year to midnight December 31. That was up from 1115 missions in 2020 and 951 missions in 2019. Since it started in 1988, the service has done well over 23,000 missions.

Northland Rescue Helicopter CEO Craig Gibbons is also thankful for the loyal support from the community.

"The support we receive from the community and sponsors seems to get stronger every year and it is critical to have that backing because the demand for our rescue helicopters continues to increase as the Northland population grows," Gibbons said.

In recent weeks two significant donations were made to the service. The first was from All in, All Out Trail Riders who donated $5150 after a trail ride fundraiser.

The group has regularly fundraised after member Hemi Murray survived a horrific head-on crash into a pine tree in July 2020. He was not expected to survive and has since recovered remarkably well and become an avid supporter of the service.

The other donation came from car enthusiast Phil Schultz, who organised a classic car convoy around Northland. The efforts of Schultz and his mates raised $4418, adding to the thousands of dollars the Whangarei man has personally raised in recent years.

Top Energy and Northpower chief executives Russell Shaw and Andrew McLeod have also acknowledged the community support.

"We love the way the community comes together every year to support the annual fundraising appeal in so many ways – with donations and in-kind activity.

"We are all part of the community and every donation goes towards helping someone in their time of need, so it really is a case of paying it forward and caring for others," say the pair.