The Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Service will use money from community donations to install a new webcam in Alexandra to help monitor weather conditions in the town.

Trustee Stephen Woodhead and critical care paramedic and team leader Ross Kirkpatrick spoke to the Otago Regional Council (ORC) last week, and also presented its 2023-24 annual report.

The rescue helicopter service had been slightly quieter than the 2022-2023 period, but there was still an ongoing high level of demand for the service, having responded with critical care for 1883 patients.

Accident numbers decreased from 629 to 553, but medical emergencies were up slightly from 436 to 457, and hospital transfers from 935 to 941. 

Search and rescue missions decreased from 109 to 106.

The Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust continued to co-fund the service $800,000 a year, along with a further $400,000 from the Lakes District Air Rescue Trust, through the Crown - The Ambulance Team (TAT) and Health NZ and ACC.

Funding innovations such as the network of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) routes have been developed across the lower South Island over recent years. 

The IFR routes were nearly complete and provided connections through all the main valleys in Otago and Southland, enabling missions to be completed where poor visibility would otherwise preclude flying.

The ORC is a major funder of the trust, donating $350,000 annually, and a further $1million was donated throughout the various communities.

These included $30,000 from the Lions Club of Maniototo, $5000 from Alexandra Rotary, $3065 from the Otago Cavalcade and $31,500 from the Central Otago Winter Feed Competition.

“The teams bring life-saving care to patients across the lower South Island 24/7, 365 days of the year. It is an expensive operation, and we are very grateful for the funding support provided,” Stephen said.

ORC chair Gretchen Robertson said the report highlights the critical work the Otago Southland Rescue Helicopter Trust does for the region.

“This is an important service that unquestionably saves lives every year. Otago is a large and geographically diverse area, and this service plays a critical role in helping patients across the region. The hundreds of patients cared for over the past year reinforces how valuable this service is for the people of Otago.”

“I want to thank the trust, pilots and emergency response staff who play an important role in saving lives and helping our communities every day,” she said.