Te Awanui Hauora are fundraising for the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter
What we will be doing: We are having a mini-whaanau day at Te Awanui Hauora Matakana Island, Saturday, March 14th 2026, 10 am - 1 pm. Proceeds made from part of the day will go toward the Aero-Cool Rescue Helicopter.
We want to do this because: Living on Matakana Island, we rely heavily on the services of the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter, and this is a way we can contribute as a hapori through manaaki and aroha.
About this service: The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter is a fully-fledged air emergency medical service that services the Coastal Bay of Plenty region in the North Island. It brings life-saving equipment and rescue personnel directly to patients, 24/7, 365 days a year, and is staffed by an amazing & experienced crew of Critical Care Flight Paramedics (CCFP), Air Crew Officers and Pilots. Donations from fundraising go towards the operational costs, which helps ensure the rescue helicopter can continue to carry out life-saving missions, whenever and wherever needed.
My Updates
Te Awanui Hauora
Friday 20th FebSupporting the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter – Protecting Our Matakana Island Community
Here on Matakana Island, we understand better than most how important fast, reliable emergency response is. Living in a beautiful but geographically isolated coastal community means that when emergencies happen, every minute counts.
That’s why the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter service is so vital to us.
Operating 24 hours a day across the Coastal Bay of Plenty and wider North Island region, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter provides critical air emergency medical care, search and rescue missions, winch operations, night rescues, and urgent inter-hospital transfers. Since its establishment in 2000, the service has touched the lives of more than a thousand patients — many from communities just like ours.
For Matakana Island families, this helicopter is more than a service — it is a sense of reassurance. It is the sound of hope in the sky when someone we love needs urgent care. Whether responding to boating accidents, medical emergencies, rural incidents, or assisting NZ Fire, Land Search and Rescue, and the Armed Offender Squad, the Aerocool crew stands ready at any hour.
Behind every mission is a highly skilled team of Critical Care Flight Paramedics, Air Crew Officers, and Pilots. Their dedication, training, and calm professionalism ensure that patients receive advanced care from the moment they are reached.
The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter is operated by Central Air Ambulance Rescue Limited (CAARL) and Search and Rescue Services Ltd (SRSL) — registered charitable organisations supporting eight rescue helicopter bases across the Central and Southern North Island. These life-saving operations rely heavily on community support to remain fully operational and equipped.
As a community that directly benefits from this service, Matakana Island proudly stands behind the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter. Our fundraiser is about giving back to the team that keeps our whānau safe. It is about gratitude, responsibility, and ensuring that when the call comes — for any one of us — the helicopter can fly without hesitation.
By supporting this fundraiser, we are investing in:
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Life-saving medical equipment
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Ongoing specialist crew training
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Operational readiness 24/7
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The safety of our island and coastal communities
This is more than a fundraiser — it is a commitment to care for one another.
Together, we can ensure the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter continues to serve Matakana Island and the wider Bay of Plenty for generations to come.
Let’s stand behind those who stand ready for us.
ShareThank you to my Sponsors
$105
Ma & Bj
$100
Pocahontas
Nga mihi whanau
$52.50
Whare N
$51
Erin N Ngai
$30
Anonymous
$21
