Rescue choppers based in the central North Island will be included in a tender for air ambulance helicopter services after mayors from the region met the Minister of Health today.
The Philips Search and Rescue Trust operates rescue helicopters at six bases in the North Island, including the BayTrust Rescue Helicopter servicing Rotorua and Bay of Plenty and the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter covering Taupo and the Central Plateau.
A rationalisation of nationwide rescue chopper services prompted concerns that Taupo and Rotorua would no longer be used as rescue helicopter bases.
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Taupo mayor Dave Trewavas, Rotorua mayor Steve Chadwick and Ruapehu mayor Don Cameron were reassured at a meeting with Health Minister David Clark in Wellington that that was not the case.