Northland's Electricity Rescue Helicopter documentary

Northland's Electricity Rescue Helicopter documentary revealed

A documentary capturing the history and criticality of Northland’s Electricity Rescue Helicopter Service has been launched to coincide with the annual fundraising appeal now underway.

Whangarei-based Channel North compiled the compelling footage over a two year period and, with TVNZ’s Simon Dallow charitably fronting the documentary, the regional television station has produced a superb overview of the service.

The production is laced with actual rescue footage and in-depth interviews with a number of people who have had their -lives saved by the speed of medical care Northland’s Electricity Rescue Helicopters and associated medical staff are able to give.

‘Northland’s Angels of the skies’ was screened for the first time at Capitaine Bougainville Theatre in Whangarei last night. More than $3000 was raised at the event - $2000 alone coming from a pledge by JP Dignon, the Managing Director of Whangarei business ND Security.

Mr Dignon says he was compelled to make the donation due to the realisation Northland’s rescue choppers save so many lives every year.

Annually the operation transports over 800 patients and clocks up well over 1000 hours in the air as it covers the longest length of coastline of any rescue helicopter service in New Zealand.

Since its first flight in 1988, the service has flown more than 17,000 missions and General Manager Vanessa Furze says, as demand continues to grow, so does the need for more funding.

“We are working with Central Government to try and achieve a higher level of funding for rescue helicopter services around the country because they are so critical to New Zealand as specialist medical facilities increasingly end up in the cities. Higher funding levels would relieve a lot of pressure on services like ours. That’s why we have to fundraise every day, every year.

“We need people to recognise that rescue helicopter trusts like Northland Emergency Services Trust are unique in that our operational costs are extreme as compared to other emergency service providers. And our costs are growing by the day as demand for our services increases. As an example, for every hour of flying, four hours of maintenance is required on the Northland choppers.

“But I want to stress that we are so thankful for the generosity our community shows and the time our various ambassadors commit to spreading the word. We need that because every dollar counts. In saying that, we are aiming to raise well over $200,000 in public donations during the 2015 fundraising appeal, so we need people to dig deep now,” says Mrs Furze.

Channel North General Manager Karen Sidney says she’s proud to be working with Northland’s Electricity Rescue Helicopter Service and is pleased with the quality of the documentary produced by her team.

“Like the Helicopter Service, this documentary is a powerful piece of work that really connects with people,” says Ms Sidney.

“That was always the aim but a lot of hard work has gone into condensing 27 years of operation into 32 minutes of actual footage. I don’t think there was a person in that theatre last night without tears in their eyes. It is an incredibly moving documentary that every New Zealander should watch because it provides such a rare insight into the impact Northland’s Electricity Rescue Helicopters have on the community and everyday Kiwis.”

Channel North will air the documentary on Freeview (Channel 35) on September 23 at 9.30am and 7pm. It will be on demand on http://tvnorth.co.nz/channelnorth/ from September 23. The documentary will also be shared with the Regional TV Broadcasters’ group which covers many parts of New Zealand.

Part one of the documentary will also be posted on the Northland Emergency Services Trust Facebook page this afternoon. Five more clips will follow (one per week) to give people the chance to see the entire documentary. Alternatively, they can purchase a DVD for $20 from the NEST hangar in Whangarei. People out of the area can email info@nest.org.nz.

People wanting to donate to the 2015 fundraising appeal can do so at any Northland ASB, at Givealittle or www.nest.org.nz.

Principal sponsors Northpower and Top Energy will provide sponsorship of $100,000 and $50,000 respectively to the 2015 Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter fundraising appeal.

A number of ambassadors are supporting the 2015 fundraising campaign including Sir Peter Leitch (aka The Mad Butcher), Dean Lonergan from Duco Events, radio personality John Markby, former Northern Districts cricketer Joey Yovich, MP David Shearer and one-time Black Cap and ex Dargaville lad Dion Nash - founder of the men’s grooming range Triumph & Disaster.

ENDS

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