The Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter has reached a significant fundraising milestone, securing the full amount needed to refurbish its vital rescue winch.

This achievement ensures the rescue winch can be overhauled and maintained, allowing the rescue helicopter crew to continue delivering advanced medical care directly to patients in challenging and often inaccessible terrain. The winch is essential for accelerating treatment and improving patient outcomes, particularly in a region where many missions rely on winch capability as the only option.

“The support that poured in for this campaign was truly humbling. Thank you to every individual who donated - including those who gave more than once.”

“With every contribution doubled, thanks to one of our extremely generous supporters doubling donations up to $150,000, the $300,000 raised will go a long way toward ensuring continued safety for the Manawatū and Whanganui communities” said Sharni Weir, Head of Marketing and Fundraising at Philips Search and Rescue Trust.

The Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter covers vast and varied landscapes, including dense bush areas such as the Tararua Ranges, Whanganui National Park, and the Ruahine Forest Park. The crew is frequently tasked to remote locations where landing is often not possible.

In one recent mission, the team was dispatched to assist a woman suffering a medical event deep within the Tararua Ranges. After locating her, the Critical Care Flight Paramedic was winched down to assess her condition and determine the safest extraction method. The crew landed at a nearby farm to remove the stretcher and create additional space and weight capacity before winching the patient, her equipment, and the paramedic into the aircraft. After a safe winch extraction, she was then transported to Palmerston North Hospital for further care.

Base Manager and Air Crew Officer/Paramedic Leigh emphasised the importance of the equipment: “A rescue winch is a vital piece of equipment for every rescue helicopter. I’d never want to be without one.”

Vanessa Richmond, General Manager of Philips Search and Rescue Trust stated how thankful she was to the community for “keeping this vital equipment mission-ready - ensuring that the next time someone's life is "on the line," the rescue helicopter crew can respond with confidence.”

Because you never know when you’ll need the rescue helicopter > https://give.rescue.org.nz/event/grassroots-trust-rescue-helicopter/donate

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