Emergencies don’t stop when the sun goes down - and neither does your Greenlea Rescue Helicopter. But flying at night makes every rescue harder and riskier.

A significant portion of life-saving missions occur during nighttime hours. In 2024, 14.2% of the 534 missions performed by the Greenlea Rescue Helicopter crew were conducted between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. - a figure that doesn't even account for winter periods when darkness can fall as early as 5:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, the Night Vision Goggles (NVG) your crew are currently using are nearly 20 years old. Not only has the technology improved, but aging equipment like this is getting harder to repair. If even one pair of NVGs fail, your crew’s ability to fly at night will be seriously jeopardised.

Your Pilot and Base Manager, says, “Without Night Vision Goggles, some missions simply aren’t possible. NVGs give our crews the confidence to fly safely at night - spotting risks like tall trees, ridgelines, cloud and remote terrain just as clearly as in daylight.”

That is why this Christmas your crew are requesting a gift from you. A gift to help allow them to return home safely, and bring others safely home to theirs. People like Mike.

Not long ago, Mike headed out in the morning for a 3-hour kayak on the Tongariro River. After he’d completed the more difficult white-water section, Mike came to a split in the river, he accidently drifted to the wrong side…

He told us, “My kayak got broached on a rock, and so I stood up. As I grabbed my paddle, the boat slipped out of reach.”

He tried to swim after it but soon realised the water was far too rapid and dangerous to swim in.

All it took was a moment, and Mike was left stranded on the scrubby river beach. With his phone and bag in the kayak, he had no way of contacting anyone for help, and no way out.

Mike was getting colder, despite good gear and some spare clothing. The temperature dropped noticeably when the sun went down and was forecast to fall to zero that night.

Back at the meeting point, his family were anxiously waiting for Mike to arrive.

Hours ticked by, and he still didn’t come. Feeling utterly helpless and worried, Mike’s wife dialled 111…

Although Mike wasn’t injured, he was in grave danger of hypothermia. People often underestimate how deadly hypothermia can be – but the truth is that each passing hour only put Mike in greater danger.

But as he huddled on the riverbank, shivering, Mike heard a loud noise and saw a bright light in the sky. Mike couldn’t believe it.

He told us, “I didn’t think anyone would come out in the dark. I got up and waved, but I wasn’t sure they saw me or not. They seemed to hover for what seemed like an eternity.”

Finally, the lights moved closer, and Mike saw something moving in the shadows above…

“The flight paramedic was being winched down. He wanted to make sure I was ok, and I told him, ‘I’m fine, I’m just cold.’

“He got his winching gear out, and I got wired up. As we went up, I had no sense of height… all I could see was the rescue helicopter lights getting closer.”

As soon as he got inside the helicopter, Mike instantly felt warmer. But it wasn’t enough. Understandably, our Critical Care Flight Paramedic was extremely concerned about hypothermia. He gave Mike hand warmers, which made a huge difference in bringing up his body temperature.

And when they landed a short while later at a nearby airfield, Mike was greeted with tears of joy by his wife and brother-in-law.

Bringing loved one's home after dark - that’s what the new E3 Night Vision Goggles will empower your rescue helicopter crew to do. To make this possible, we urgently need to raise $102,000 to purchase three new pairs of NVGs for the crew.

These E3 Night Vision Goggles:

• Offer exceptional clarity and comfort during long missions, reducing fatigue and enhancing crew safety
• Provide a full, rimless field of vision
• Enable the crew to spot obstacles such as tall trees, ridgelines, clouds, and remote terrain - ensuring safer flight operations

Help make magic this Christmas by helping fund these E3 Night Vision Goggles and give families the greatest gift of all: more time with their loved ones. Donate to your Greenlea Rescue Helicopter today > https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/greenlea-rescue-helicopter/donate

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