A rescue helicopter on the scene after a crash in Tirau in November 2024. Photo: Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust
The way helicopter air ambulance contracts will change will become clearer in the coming week.
Demand is rising, with rescue flights up across the country by about a fifth over the last three years, to about 13,000 flying hours a year.
Currently service contracts are split between three companies in the north, central and south of the country.
Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand said the structure changes would be determined by the response to the tender it put out next week, asking for expressions of interest.
"We are not planning to expressly seek a single national provider," it said.
The change falls under a redesign of the whole aeromedical operating model, led by Health NZ and ACC.
The government's $140m funding covers most, but not all, of the air ambulance costs.
It is putting in an extra $14.7m this year to get eight new rescue helicopters, with a couple already in place.
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