GENERAL FAQs

DOES WESTPAC OWN AND OPERATE RESCUE HELICOPTERS?

Westpac NZ has supported New Zealand’s rescue helicopters for nearly 40 years through sponsorship and fundraising. Westpac is the Principal Sponsor for our Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

 

CAN YOU SELF-DISPATCH?

NO. Your rescue helicopter is dispatched through the 111 system. It is the Air Desk that coordinates and assesses whether a rescue helicopter should be dispatched to the scene.

 

WILL I GET A BILL FOR MY RESCUE?

In most cases no. Unlike other emergency services, we do not invoice a patient. We are a non-discriminatory service and will be there whenever and wherever you need us.

 

I WAS RESCUED, HOW CAN I GET IN TOUCH TO SHOW MY GRATITUDE OR SHARE MY STORY?

Thank you so much. We would love to hear from you! Your story is so important to us. Please get in touch by contacting our friendly team on 0800 11 10 10 or email [email protected]. You can also share your story on our website here.

 

WHAT IS A ‘FRIEND’ OF THE RESCUE HELICOPTER?

Our ‘Friends’ Programme has been phased out. However, you do not have to be a friend for our rescue helicopters to be dispatched. All patients can be rescued, regardless of whether you donate to the cause or not.

 

DOES MY RESCUE HELICOPTER HAVE A MEMBERSHIP OPTION?

Although we do rely on donations from our community, we are not a membership-based organisation. Good news though – this means your entire donation goes to your rescue helicopter, there is no membership portion and your donation is 100% tax-deductible.

 

CAN MY GROUP OR ORGANISATION VISIT THE BASE?

Please contact us at [email protected] to register your interest in a hangar visit and we will contact you.

 

I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SOMEONE ABOUT THE WAIKATO WESTPAC RESCUE HELICOPTER, HOW CAN I CONFIRM IT WAS YOU CALLING?

We do make calls to tell our community about the great work your rescue helicopter is doing in your community! All of our callers give their names and have a unique ID number they can give to identify themselves. However, if you have any concerns, please call us on 0800 11 10 10 to find out if you were phoned by one of our friendly team. You can also call us if you have any feedback about your experience with our callers.

 

I’D LIKE TO LEAVE A BEQUEST, WHAT DO I DO?

Thank you, so much for your desire to gift a legacy! Our free informative legacy booklet can be emailed or posted to you on request. We also have a dedicated team member you are welcome to have a confidential chat with. Contact us anytime on freephone 0800 11 10 10 or email at [email protected]

 

I HAVE OTHER QUESTIONS, WHO SHOULD I CONTACT?

Please email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 0800 11 10 10 and our friendly team will be happy to help you with any queries you may still have! Alternatively, please fill out the form here and we'll get in touch!

DONATION FAQs

I DONATED THROUGH MY BANK AND HAVEN’T RECEIVED A RECEIPT?

Thank you for your donation! If we have your email address, your receipt will be sent within a week, if we only have your postal, your receipt will arrive within 7-10 working days. If it hasn’t arrived after this time please contact our helpful team on 0800 11 10 10 or [email protected]

 

HOW CAN I DONATE NOW THAT CHEQUES HAVE BEEN PHASED OUT?

With banks phasing out cheques we’ve had many calls from our supporters asking how they can continue donating to the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter. There are a number of easy ways to donate to your rescue helicopter:

  • Donate online: If you have a debit or credit card, you can easily donate online here.
  • Donate through online banking or at your bank: If you have access to online banking, you can donate this way, using our account details below. Alternatively, you can go into your bank and make a donation into our account, using the following details.

Philips Search and Rescue Trust

03 1555 0008019 00

Please remember to include your supporter number so we know the donation is from you! Give us a call on 0800 11 10 10 if you’re not sure what your supporter number is.

  • Phone us to donate by credit card or debit card: Please phone us on 0800 11 10 10 to make a donation securely over the phone.

 

WHAT IS/WHERE IS MY PERSONAL DONOR ID?

When you make a generous donation, you are given your own personal identification number. This number is used as a reference to help us locate you and your donation in our system quickly. Even though your surname may be the same as others, your identification number isn’t; it’s unique to you only. In the correspondence we send you, you will see your ID placed in the top right corner and again at the bottom (example below). This ID, unique to you, is important and helpful to use when corresponding or contacting us.

When you reference this ID any potential errors in receipting someone in our system with a similar name are eliminated. We can match the donation with you immediately and receipt and acknowledge your donation accordingly.

When making a deposit in person or online, using your ID as a reference along with your name is extremely helpful when depositing funds. Also, if your donation is in response to a special appeal, newsletter or renewal referencing is helpful (see an example below).

If you have any questions or cannot locate your personal ID, please get in touch with our friendly team on 0800 11 10 10 and we will be happy to talk to you.

Your personal donor ID can be found at the top of the letter.

 It can also be found at the bottom of your letter – please see red circles.

 

MY PERSONAL DONOR ID USED TO HAVE LETTERS IN IT, NOW IT DOESN’T. WHY?

In 2019 we changed to a more sophisticated database to be able to communicate with you, our donors, more effectively. This meant all personal donor IDs have changed to numbers only.

  • Old ID example TG0000
  • New ID example 123456

Your new ID is on all correspondence we send you, you will see your ID placed in the top right corner and again at the bottom (example below).

If you are unsure which ID to use, please get in touch with our friendly team on 0800 11 10 10 and we will be happy to talk to you.

Your personal donor ID can be found in the top right-hand corner of your letter.

It can also be located at the bottom of the letter – please see red circle.

FUNDRAISING FAQS

HOW CAN I FUNDRAISE FOR MY RESCUE HELICOPTER?

Thank you for choosing to raise funds for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter! From bake sales and head shaves to participating in events or holding your own event, there are lots of ways you can fundraise for us. You can set up a personalised fundraiser on our website easily, and share the link with your friends and family, making donating to your fundraiser easier than ever. Click here to get started.

If you have any more questions, or you wish to fundraise offline, please email us at [email protected] and we’ll get in touch to discuss how we can support your fundraising. Click here to see our Fundraising Guide to help you get started!

 

DO I NEED PERMISSION TO FUNDRAISE?

If you are fundraising offline, please contact us to request your Intention to Fundraise form. You can email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 11 10 10 and we will get the process started and give you everything you need to get your fundraiser set up.

 

CAN A CREW MEMBER COME ALONG TO MY EVENT?

We would love to come along to every event however when our crew are on duty they are required to be at the base, and when they’re off duty they're spending time with their families. Get in touch with us and we can organise a visit for you/your group to the hangar.

 

I NEED PUBLIC LIABILITY INSURANCE AND COUNCIL PERMITS FOR MY EVENT; WILL YOU COVER THIS FOR ME?

Our Public Liability Insurance does not extend to third party fundraising events, so any permits or insurance you need, and associated expenses are your responsibility.

 

CAN I USE MY RESCUE HELICOPTER'S LOGO AND BRANDING TO PROMOTE MY EVENT?

You can! Please email [email protected] and let us know how you’re hoping to promote your event and we’ll have a chat about what you might need. Any collateral that has your rescue helicopter’s logo on it will need to be approved by our team so please make sure you send this to us for approval before starting to promote your event.

 

HOW DO I DEPOSIT THE FUNDS I HAVE RAISED?

Philips Search and Rescue Trust is the charity responsible for fundraising for the Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter. You can deposit funds raised into the following account: 03-1555-0008019-00. If you have created a fundraiser on our website, you won't need to do anything as the funds will automatically come to our account.

 

WHAT SUPPORT CAN YOU PROVIDE?

We are here to help you with fundraising ideas and guidance, and we may also be able to send you collateral relevant to your event! Email us at [email protected] or call us on 0800 11 10 10 and we can chat through the options.

 

CAN YOU PROVIDE AUCTION OR RAFFLE ITEMS FOR MY EVENT?

Due to the number of fundraisers we work with, unfortunately, we are unable to provide raffle and auction items. We can help by providing guidance on how to approach businesses for these.

SCHOOL FUNDRAISING COMPETITION

Please click here to see the Terms & Conditions for the School Fundraising Competition

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