Life Flight

Each week 28 people need time-critical aeromedical care. With your support, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Air Ambulance Planes are there in their moment of need.

Mission stories

  • Meet Fergus from Paraparaumu

    First-time parents Falyn and Peter were excitedly awaiting twins Fergus and Finley, but only 12 weeks into the pregnancy, it was clear Fergus would have to fight for his life.

  • Meet Adrian from Palmerston North

    Out of the blue, Adrian found himself in a race against time. He was experiencing an aortic dissection, and every minute saved improved his chances of survival.

  • Meet Bruce from Masterton

    While Bruce was working under the hot Masterton sun, a growing pain became unbearable. Soon unconscious, the Westpac Chopper became the tool to save his life.

  • Meet Poppy from Palmerston North

    An urgent flight 48 hours after Poppy was born ensured her life. 10 years later, Mum Leisha reflects on what that flight meant for her family.

  • Meet Michelle from Wainuiomata

    When a familiar walk became Michelle’s nightmare, the Westpac Chopper was her only hope of escape. 

  • Meet Hugo from Blenheim

    When Jess’s water broke two months earlier than expected, none of the local hospitals were equipped for such an early birth. Thanks to you, our air ambulance plane was ready at a moment's notice.

  • Meet Nicky from Carterton

    Despite the cardiac arrest that left Nicky with memory loss and a pacemaker, she’s thankful to come out of it with her life.

  • Meet Harrison from Wellington

    Harrison has been a fighter since birth. He defied all odds in surviving a severe brain bleed when born. Unfortunately, it wasn’t his last fight.

  • Meet Lee from Auckland

    Lee, an experienced horserider, was enjoying a day out at a friends farm in Masterton. Shortly after, she was speeding to Wellington Hospital in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

  • In memory of August

    Baby August was a happy, cheeky, and brave boy that touched many hearts in his fourteen months on earth. Thank you to his parents, Ursula and Jake, for sharing their story.

  • Meet Ewen from Masterton

    Wairarapa local Ewen woke suddenly in his bed. His arms were numb, his body cold and clammy. He was having a massive heart attack.

  • Meet Taylor from Nelson

    Baby Taylor had a dramatic start to life; born prematurely in Nelson, she suffered a collapsed lung. Life Flight's Air Ambulance plane was ready.

  • Meet Andrew from Wairarapa

    Forty years ago, a seriously injured Andrew was flown from remote Wairarapa bush by Peter Button. Decades later, he needed the Westpac Chopper once more.

  • Kaikōura Water Rescue

    The Westpac Rescue Helicopter team winches three people off a boat near Kaikōura. No power and battling high waves, the boat sank five minutes later.

  • Meet Charlotte and Eleanor from Palmerston North

    A routine ultrasound for Mum-to-be Rebekah had a different outcome than expected...

  • Meet Bill from Pelorus Sounds

    Living in a remote part of the country, Bill understands the need for Life Flight more than anyone.

  • Meet Bentley from Kāpiti

    What should have been a moment of joy quickly turned into distress when newborn Bentley didn’t respond as normal.

  • Meet Pat from Kāpiti

    A walk on a friend's farm quickly took a turn for 85-year-old grandmother, Pat.

  • Meet Tilly from Upper Hutt

    When two-year-old Tilly's blood test showed an abnormal result, her mum decided to Google what that meant. The first thing that came up was leukaemia. 

  • Meet Jarrod from Wairarapa

    It was a wet day at work for Jarrod, who was driving along the rugged Mount Bruce landscape when suddenly he found himself rolling down a steep, grassy hill.

  • Meet Kaz from Kāpiti

    As Kaz lay in agony in the Maungakotukutuku hills with life-threatening injuries, the sound of the whirring blades of the Westpac Chopper gave her hope.

  • Meet Santiago from Wellington

    Kylie, her husband Fede and their two children went for a Sunday hike in the Remutaka Forest Park when disaster struck.

  • Meet Alice from Paraparaumu

    Alice was winched from the Paraparaumu bush after a severe fall.

  • Meet Waylon from Clyde

    When newborn Waylon started losing consciousness, an Air Ambulance Plane was quickly dispatched to get him to Wellington Hospital.

  • Meet Zachariah from Palmerston North

    Being helped by a manual oxygen pump, premature baby Zachariah needed to get to Wellington Hospital fast.

  • Meet Pip from Feilding

    Thanks to your support, Pip was able to recover from a brain aneurysm, a condition that has a 60% survival rate.

  • Meet Stefan from Wairarapa

    A routine tonsillectomy turned into an emergency transfer from Masterton to Wellington for four-year-old Stefan, his mum, and baby sister.

  • Meet Lincoln from Upper Hutt

    Floating alone, freezing, 300 metres off the coast - Lincoln grew weaker by the second.

  • Meet Abby and Hunter from Nelson

    Your kind donations help worried mothers like Katrina get their children the urgent specialist care they need.

  • Meet Joe from the Wairarapa

    When Joe broke his leg in the Aorangi Forest Park with night quickly approaching, he was thankful to have a personal location beacon on hand.

  • Meet Avitaj from Kāpiti

    After a blissful nine months of eagerly waiting to become a Dad, Dilpreet’s life suddenly turned upside down when the doctor warned him he may lose his baby.

  • Meet Ethan from Nelson

    Twenty-eight weeks pregnant, Tracy had no idea her life was in danger when she was rushed to Nelson Hospital after her midwife spotted potentially fatal symptoms.

  • Meet Indianna from Whanganui

    Indianna was born with congenital heart disease hypoplastic left heart syndrome. Her mum, Carmen, shares her story.

  • Meet Colin from Blenheim

    Colin Tandy barely clung to life after his truck rolled 80 metres down a Marlborough cliff.

  • Meet Lily from Wellington

    Our Air Ambulance Plane provided safe transport for New Zealand's youngest receiver of a new heart.

  • Meet Katie-Jane from Upper Hutt

    After a devastating motorbike crash in the Wairarapa, Katie Jane was flown to Wellington Hospital – but the care she received didn’t end with that flight.

  • Meet Matese from Lower Hutt

    5-week-old Matese needed a life-saving flight in our Air Ambulance Plane to Starship Children's Hospital.

  • Meet Richard from Cape Palliser

    Our Westpac Chopper was able to provide Richard with a lifeline when his yacht became uncontrollable.

Share this page: