New helicopter landing facilities to enhance emergency services for East Cape communities

A Government-funded project to help shore up health equity and community resilience on the East Coast culminated today with a multi-site blessing and celebration.

The official opening of three strategically positioned helicopter landing facilities at Te Puia Springs, Te Araroa and Ruatōrea marks a significant enhancement to critical infrastructure serving East Cape communities says Ian Parker, Chair of Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust.

“The facilities directly address the unique geographical challenges faced by remote East Coast communities in accessing life-saving emergency medical services.

“They also improve comfort for patients being uplifted from East Coast locations after an accident or medical event and offer better access for the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter that services the region,” says Mr Parker.

“These new helipads represent more than infrastructure, though – they represent resilience for our communities, and they ensure our whānau have equitable access to critical care, including during adverse weather conditions and medical emergencies.”

The facility developments were made possible through post-Cyclone Gabrielle resilience and recovery funding from Health New Zealand, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to rebuilding stronger and more resilient communities.

“The Government’s generous contribution has enabled not just these three helipads, but an enhancement of our emergency response capabilities across the East Cape region,” says Paul Baxter, CEO of Search & Rescue Services, the emergency air ambulance helicopter service provider for central New Zealand.

“This includes facility upgrades to the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust base in Gisborne, where our Tairāwhiti crew are based, and increased and resilient fuel access facilities across the rōhe.”

The project had been more than 12 months in the making, with the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter using the first helipad at Te Puia Hospital in May 2024, and the second, at Matakaoa Community Health Centre in Te Araora, just three months later.

The final site, at Whakarua Park, Ruatōrea, was operational by July 2025.

Na Raihania, Chairperson of Ngāti Porou Oranga, says the project honours the deep partnership between the Crown, Iwi, and community-led response.  

“These helicopter pads are not just concrete and steel – they are lifelines for our whānau.

“We acknowledge the generous contribution of the Crown, as well as the leadership of our hapū, and community volunteers. This collaboration reflects our region’s readiness to innovate and share responsibility for the health and wellbeing and resilience of all whānau,” says Mr Raihania.

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Contact information:

Dorina Paenga
Senior Manager, Projects, Marketing and Communications
Te Runanganui o Ngati Porou
dpaenga@tronp.org.nz or 022 177 5584 

Kristine Walsh
Communications Manager
Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust
comms@eastlandrescue.co.nz or 027 574 7440

Hannah Heberley
Senior Communications Specialist
Search & Rescue Services
hannah.heberley@srsl.org.nz or 021 272 8021