8361 (2026). Mike Davidson to the Minister of Internal Affairs

8361 (2026). Mike Davidson to the Minister of Internal Affairs: How many organisations or agencies, if any, would typically handle a single request for air ambulance chopper assistance from Fire and Emergency New Zealand?

Hon Brooke van Velden: I am advised that the number of organisations involved depends on the nature of the incident. For search and rescue incidents, Fire and Emergency New Zealand liaises with New Zealand Police, which is the lead coordinating agency for Category 1 search and rescue. For health-related incidents, requests for air ambulance assistance are made directly to Hato Hone St John.