Promise over changes to helicopters

'It's definitely not a backward step.'

Bryce Barnett

New Zealanders have nothing to fear from proposed changes to the rescue helicopter services, the head of Taranaki’s own life-saving chopper trust says.

The National Ambulance Sector Office (NASO) has plans to streamline rescue helicopter operations and reduce the number of bases from which they operate.

In the central and lower North Island the potentially affected helicopters would be in Taupo¯ and Rotorua. Community leaders in both cities have said such a move would be life-threatening and the public have marched in protest.

Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust chairman Bryce Barnett, whose chopper base is not affected by the changes, said the government’s proposal would help reduce inefficiencies and provide a better level of service to the public.

‘‘The result is not about cutting costs. What they are trying to do is improve patient outcomes consistent with the performance of air ambulance services around the world,’’ Barnett said.

‘‘It’s all about increasing the level of service and the efficiencies. It’s definitely not a backward step.’’

Barnett said while he could understand the concerns of the communities where helicopters would no longer be based, and recognised that local knowledge was vital in the alpine environment, including Taranaki and the central plateau, he believed the changes would achieve the goal.

‘‘I have to say I absolutely endorse this and that was something I said when I came into the helicopter trust, I said there were inefficiencies in the whole system.

‘‘Our responsibility is to provide the best emergency rescue service to the country.’’

Barnett would know. He has been credited with saving Taranaki’s chopper from being permanently grounded by financial strife in 2012.

He said under the proposal the type of helicopter used would be regulated along with the equipment they carried, the processes they had in place, including staff training, and the operations would also have dedicated paramedics.

‘‘I actually think it is exciting for the people of New Zealand because it’s actually standardising the service. The public have got to be the winners.’’

He said the benefits would include reducing the time it took to get helicopters airborne and having pilots able to fly any chopper in use around the country.

‘‘At the end of the day everybody should be focused not on a helicopter, it’s how quickly the right level of service in a helicopter can arrive.

‘‘People are focused on having an aircraft at their backdoor, that is not necessarily it. It’s all that goes with the aircraft and how quickly they can be on it and how qualified they are.

‘‘The people inside the helicopters are more important than the helicopter.’’

Barnett said operators had been aware of the plans since 2016 and the trust was working with service providers from the Life Flight Trust which services the Wellington area and Philips Search and Rescue in the central north island, Hawkes Bay and the East Coast to form one operating company that would be contracted to NASO.

The Ministry of Health have said the aim of the proposal is to create a well-linked, around-theclock service that is safer and better resourced.

‘‘No decision has been made yet on where the air ambulance services will be based but coverage of the central plateau will continue,’’ Andrew Inder, manager of community and ambulance, said.

Inder said both the health and air ambulance sectors recognised the existing operating model was ‘‘not sustainable’’ as the demand increased.