In the week to Sunday the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team flew two helicopters and completed 12 missions, nearly twice their usual weekly average.

“That’s a big case-load in anybody’s language and just shows the level of demand in and around our region,” says Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust (EHRT) chair Patrick Willock.

“Credit to the team, too, for managing to carry it off in a week when they were switching out helicopters, which does entail a bit of extra work.”

While the team’s usual white BK-117 helicopter (ZK-HNP) was off-base for routine maintenance the team was flying the bright yellow ZK-HEP cover aircraft, on loan from its usual base in the Central North Island.

The week started when the team was dispatched to a medical event at Mahia at 8.30am on Monday, February 12 (patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital), and later (10.40am) assisted in a search for a missing woman at Tokomaru Bay.

The following day they responded to a quad-bike rollover at Ruakituri (8.21am) and a medical event at Tokomaru Bay (12.41pm), with patients in both cases flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

On February 14 (2.30pm) they were called to a medical event at Tolaga Bay, and the next day to another at Nuhaka (7.37pm). Again, both patients were flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Then on Friday they completed four missions in one day. While still flying ZK-HEP they responded to two medical events at Te Araroa (1.30am and 8.30am) before being called to a motor vehicle accident (11.10am) at Wainui, just east of Whakatane (all patients transported in stable condition).

Not long after their 3.30pm return to the EHRT Gisborne hangar the team’s own ZK-HNP helicopter returned, and was soon pressed into service to fly to a medical event at Ruatoria (9.15pm), taking the patient in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

After a hectic Friday the weekend was rounded out with two further missions: to a medical event at Te Araroa (February 17, 11.45am) and a trauma at Tokomaru Bay (February 18, 2024, 9.30pm). Both patients were flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

“The team’s usual helicopter was off-base for maintenance for nine days, which is quite a long time, and they certainly made good use of their distinctive cover aircraft,” Mr Willock says.

“But for now, at least, things are back to normal so locals will see their usual Trust Tairāwhiti-branded aircraft heading off to missions all around the region.”

CAPTION: NO INTERRUPTED SERVICE: In a hectic week of activity the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter team also managed to carry out a seamless switch of helicopters from the on-loan ZK-HEP, after its last mission of the week to a motor vehicle accident east of Whakatane.