
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter Undertakes 30 Life-saving Missions In April
Press Release – Greenlea Rescue Helicopter
The month began with the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter being dispatched to Taupo Hospital for a female who had sustained injuries. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
The Greenlea Rescue Helicopter carried out 30 life-saving missions across the Central Plateau and Lakes region throughout April. These missions included 13 inter-hospital transfers, 2 medical events, 10 rural/farm incidents, 3 motor vehicle accident, and 2 miscellaneous missions.
The rescue helicopter was most often seen in Taupo, completing 5 inter-hospital transfers, as well as in Rotorua, where the crew performed 5 inter-hospital transfers. Additionally, the rescue helicopter crew were spotted in remote locations such as Mount Ruapehu, Ruatahuna and Wairakei to name a few.
The month began with the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter being dispatched to Taupo Hospital for a female who had sustained injuries. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
The following morning, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Tongariro National Park to assist a male who was suffering from a medical event. The patient was flown to Taupo Hospital for further medical care.
Later that morning, the rescue helicopter flew to Matapu for a male who had sustained significant injuries following a motor vehicle accident. The patient was treated on scene for approximately 40 minutes by the onboard Critical Care Flight Paramedic before being to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
On Sunday afternoon, April 6th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Taumarunui Hospital for a male who was experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was stabilised and airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
On Wednesday morning, April 9th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Ruatahuna for a male who was experiencing a medical event. The patient was flown to Rotorua Hospital for further treatment after being stabilised on scene by the Critical Care Flight Paramedic.
On Friday afternoon, April 11th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter flew to Erua for a female who had sustained serious injuries after a fall from a quad bike. The patient was treated on scene and then airlifted to Taupo Hospital for further treatment.
The next evening, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Kawakawa Bay for a female who was experiencing a medical event. The patient was airlifted to Rotorua Hospital to receive further medical treatment.
On Monday morning, April 14th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Rotorua Hospital for a female who was suffering from a serious medical condition. The patient was flown swiftly to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, April 16th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was tasked to Murupata for a male who was in serious condition. The patient was airlifted to Rotorua Hospital for further treatment.
On Sunday afternoon, April 20th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Taumarunui Hospital for a female who was experiencing a serious medical event. The patient was treated and airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
On Thursday afternoon, April 24th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Taupo Airport for a male who had sustained injuries following a significant fall down a 3m bank. The patient was airlifted swiftly to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
Later that afternoon, the rescue helicopter flew to Rotorua Hospital for a male who was experiencing a medical condition. The patient was flown to Waikato Hospital to receive further treatment.
On Friday afternoon, April 25th, the rescue helicopter flew to Rotorua Hospital for a male who had sustained injuries after falling from a significant height (3m). The patient was airlifted swiftly to Waikato Hospital to receive further care.
That evening, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Rotorua Hospital for a male who was suffering a medical condition. The patient was transported to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
On Saturday afternoon, April 26th, the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter was dispatched to Wairakei Forest for a male who sustained injuries after a mountain biking accident. The patient was treated and airlifted to Taupo Airport for further medical care.
The month concluded with the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter being dispatched to Waihaha for a female who sustained significant injuries following a motor vehicle accident. The patient was treated on scene for approximately one hour before being airlifted to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
The fast response of the rescue helicopter and its highly trained crew ensures the patients receive the best care as quickly as possible. Because you never know when you'll need us… Donate to your Greenlea Rescue Helicopter https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/greenlea rescue-helicopter/donate

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RNZ News
2 days ago
- RNZ News
Country Life: Pongaroar hunting competition raises $13,000 for rescue helicopter
Successful hunters have their game weighed. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life There's a steady stream of utes winding down the usually quiet main street of Pongaroa, waiting their turn to have their game weighed as part of the Pongaroar hunting competition. The annual Easter event brings together hundreds of hunters, farmers, locals and spectators to raise funds for the Grassroots Rescue Helicopter. "There's a few people around here who'd be telling a different story if we didn't have it," event organiser Abbey Maher told Country Life . "It means a lot." She and her parents farm out the "back of the boonies" in rural Tararua District, and she said the chopper meant a lot to her family. They are beef farmers and have relied on it more than once for motorbike, tractor and other on-farm accidents. Follow Country Life on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , iHeart or wherever you get your podcasts. The Pongaroar hunting competition was first started in 2011, by a group of Pahiatua hunters who wanted to bring an event to Pongaroa. The event turned into a fundraiser and since then they've raised over $36,000 for the rescue helicopter. This year's event saw another $13,000 raised with up to 350 competitors - a "good turnout". "It keeps the chopper healthy," Maher said. There's a steady stream of utes winding down the usually quiet main street of Pongaroa, waiting their turn to have their game weighed as part of the Pongaroar hunting competition. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Waka Rimene, a winch operator on the Grassroots Rescue Helicopter and a keen hunter himself, was also there to support the event. "We fly out here quite often from the Manawatū," he said. Callouts range from cardiac events, to rescuing hunters and trampers, to helping people being injured on farm by bulls or rams, or in quadbike accidents, which he said were on the rise. While it takes over two hours for an ambulance to get out to the remote settlement - when they're available - the chopper can be there in about 16 minutes. "That's probably our specialty, is to get people out of the ugly situations." Waka Rimene, a winch operator on the Grassroots Rescue Helicopter and a keen hunter himself. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life The event also helps the local community tackle pest species such as deer, pigs, goats, possums, and more, with plenty of prizes up for grabs for successful hunters. It coincides with the roar - the mating season when stags become more vocal. "The reds have finished roaring but there's still some reasonably heavy ones and fallow are weighing up quite nicely," Maher said. There are prizes for the heaviest red deer, fallow deer, boars and goats. For the kids there are prizes for the heaviest possums, turkeys, rabbits and hares, and there's also an obstacle course. Pongaroar event organiser Abbey Maher says the rescue helicopter service means a lot to the community and her family. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Hunters can also be judged for the best red deer, fallow buck and goat heads, and best boar tusks. "One we threw in a little while ago to kind of promote is "ugliest deer head" - so people are culling those because seems a shame to shoot a nice one." There's also the "roar four" event for teams with the heaviest combined weight across the red stag, fallow buck, pig and goat categories. This year's entries included 43 red stags, 52 fallow buck, 23 boars, 34 goats, 22 rabbits, 51 hares, 51 turkeys and 34 possums. "Everyone in the committee hunts for the comp, we all hunt, we all enter," Maher said. "It's good to get rid of them." Along with possums, pigs and deer can also carry TB, or Bovine Tuberculosis, which puts cattle at risk. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life This years entries included 43 red stags, 52 fallow buck, 23 boars, 34 goats, 22 rabbits, 51 hares, 51 turkeys and 34 possums. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Maher said pigs and deer were particularly destructive on farm, damaging paddocks and fence lines. "I have one at home that's probably being eaten by deer as we speak," she said with a frustrated laugh. "You look at the pig side of things, you get a pig come out on the farm certain times of the year they root up the ground - use their nose to dig up the ground and eat the grubs underneath. For the farmer, that usually means not only is the soil disturbed, especially if you have a crop or new grass paddock, but quite often that particular area will grow back in thistles or all sorts of weeds." Some pigs even eat newborn lambs - some farms have seen their docking tallies "significantly impacted", Maher said. Along with possums, pigs and deer can also carry TB, or Bovine Tuberculosis, which puts cattle at risk. The event also helps the local community tackle pest species such as deer, pigs, goats, possums, and more, with plenty of prizes up for grabs for successful hunters. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Hunters can also be judged for the best red deer, fallow buck and goat heads, and best boar tusks. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Keen pig hunter Peter Sorensen has been judging the competition as long as it's been running, though this is his last year. "It's good for the locals and more than locals as well," he told Country Life , adding someone from Coromandel had driven down to compete. "These deer numbers need to be kept down a bit. They're just out of control everywhere. Red deer used to be dominant around here but slowly but surely the fallow deer have taken over. Now they're everywhere." The kids choose between a dead pig or rabbit, which they carry on their back round the course, jumping hay bales and pallets, weaving between cones and fences, and then clearing the creek. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life There's also an obstacle course for the kids. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life Local farmer Jason Ellmers agreed. He's been hunting on and off most of his life, with eight-year-old son Syd shooting his first hare this year. Jason said it was good to keep on top of the pests and get the kids involved in these type of things. "Hunting and gathering, it is a way of life. There's always stuff you don't want on your farm and you can get something out of it to eat." He said pigs had become an even bigger problem due to conversion of many farms into forestry which gave them a place to hide, but possums and other TB-carrying pests were also an issue. From left: Zane Taite, Liam Cook, Marama Karehana, Peyton Peeti and Ngahere Taite. Photo: Gianina Schwanecke / Country Life It was also a good weekend for Marama Karehana from Owāhanga Station, a 7700-ha property operated by the Aohanga Incorporation that stretches 22km along the coast from the Aohanga River in Tararua, south to the Mataikona River in Wairarapa. "I managed to shoot a 13-pointer stag. I think it was 120kg," she told Country Life . Originally a "city girl" she'd been hunting for the last seven years after learning from her partner. She said she was pretty stoked with her catch, which took out the heaviest red stag category. She nabbed the winning stag just before dusk, though she'd spent the day stalking him as he chased hinds, or female deer. "He was definitely still noisy and he had heaps of girlfriends."

RNZ News
6 days ago
- RNZ News
Man critically injured after trapped by fallen tree
Photo: 123RF A Tauranga man has been critically injured after a tree fell during stormy weather on Friday. Police said they were informed at 7.20pm that a man on a tractor had been trapped by a falling tree. A spokesperson said the incident looked "to have taken place at an orchard property". "The person sustained critical injuries and was airlifted to hospital," they said. WorkSafe had also been notified. St John said they sent an ambulance, a rapid response vehicle, a manager, and a helicopter to the property in Pyes Pā just after 7pm. The patient was airlifted to Waikato Hospital. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

RNZ News
20-05-2025
- RNZ News
New pacemaker being tested in New Zealand
A pacemaker X-ray image. Photo: 123RF A new pacemaker being tested in New Zealand could help patients with heart failure feel and move better. The device has been designed to copy the heart's natural rhythm, speeding up and slowing down in sync with breathing. The first trial patient got one at Waikato Hospital just before Christmas. Cardiologist and University of Auckland medicine Professor Dr Martin Stiles, who was overseeing the trial, said the new pacemaker showed promising results in a study with sheep with heart failure. The university tested whether sheep's ability to exercise was improved by a variable heart pacemaker. Sheep's heart functions are similar to humans. "Sheep with this respiratory variability pacing had an increase in their cardiac output by 23 percent compared to the sheep who were paced in the normal fashion. This is a dramatic increase in cardiac output," Stiles said. "Furthermore, what we've shown is that those sheep are fitter so that they can exercise more and their heart rate recovers much quicker than the sheep that have the other sort of pacing." Stiles said Auckland, Adelaide, Melbourne and Bristol in the UK were other potential centres for trials. "Once we get these trials underway, we hope to roll it out more widely, initially probably in patients who are receiving pacemakers anyway, who have heart failure. But ultimately, perhaps it might be a treatment on its own, that is to say if someone doesn't need a pacemaker, this could be a reason to put one in," he said. "We've been talking to some of the larger pacemaker companies about trying to take on this technology and develop it with us. "Once you have one of these technologies getting it out to the wider world is challenging, but we're hopeful we can and we're really proud to be doing this in New Zealand, leading it from New Zealand." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.