Fife new rescue chopper ambassador
Well-known rugby and livestock personality Chris Fife is the latest Northlander to join the Northland rescue helicopter service as an ambassador.
Fife has quietly supported the service for decades so his appointment makes sense according to Northland rescue helicopter fundraising and marketing lead Jan Hewitt.
‘‘Chris has helped with numerous Northland rescue helicopter and other community fundraisers around Northland over the years and is always willing to lend his auctioneering skills to events, which we really appreciate,’’ Hewitt says.
‘‘He is a great fit for our loyal team of ambassadors.’’
Fife is heavily involved in the Northland community outside of his roles with the Northland Rugby Union – he is chairperson of the Northland Rugby Council and director of the Northland Rugby Union Board – and as a PGG Wrightson livestock representative and auctioneer, where his career has spanned 45 years.
The Te Kopuru resident says he is humbled to have been asked to become a Northland rescue helicopter ambassador.
‘‘Supporting a charitable trust that saves lives and being able to officially play a part in helping keep the service in the air is why I believe in becoming an ambassador,’’ says Fife.
‘‘This role runs hand in hand with what I am already doing in trying to make a positive and long-lasting impact on people and our community.
‘‘As a rural service provider, a sports advocate and with my connections throughout all levels of Northland rugby and the broader business community, I hope to bring more support to this amazing air ambulance service.
‘‘The fit with PGG Wrightson, Northland Rugby, the Rugby for Life programme and Northland rescue helicopter makes sense with the synergies we all share around integrity, professionalism, values, relationships and caring for our communities 24/7.’’
Fife is renowned for throwing his support in behind worthy fundraising causes – anywhere and any time – and he has also been a loyal servant as a player and administrator for the Southern Rugby Club for more than four decades.
He joins a team of loyal Northland rescue helicopter ambassadors, including Kaipara Kumara’s Ant Blundell, teacher Monique Bradley, cricketer Joey Yovich, One News anchor Simon Dallow, 2022 Fred Hollows junior ambassador Madison Macmillan, Te Kopuru Angus stud farmer Chris Biddles, and MoreFM Northland’s John Markby, who has backed the service since its inception in 1988.