Auckland Westpac Rescue operates three rescue helicopters owned by the Auckland community. Two are state-of-the-art AW169 helicopters (Westpac Rescue 1 and Westpac Rescue 2) built by the Leonardo helicopter company in Italy. They were specifically designed for the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and are used around the world for search and rescue and aeromedical work. These are the only ones operating in New Zealand.
The third helicopter, the BK117 (Bolkov Kawasaki 117) is one of the most commonly used aircraft in the world for rescue work, as its combination of reliability, speed and short rotor blades allows it to fly close to cliff faces making it unquestionably one of the best aircrafts for the job.
