NrC review may put air ambulance in jeopardy

 

Northland Regional Council’s decision to review funding for the region’s dedicated air ambulance may put at risk the service Northland Emergency Services Trust provides.

NRC currently provides the helicopter trust with $600,000 in annual funding through a targeted rate of approximately $8 for every Northland household.

However, Council is proposing that this be amended to a new fund which is open to all emergency services for application on a contestable basis. This would mean that the targeted rate and its intended funding will no longer be guaranteed to NEST.

NEST opposes this proposal, says trust chair Paul Ahlers.

“The funding we receive from government agencies does not cover all of our operating costs – we rely heavily on local sponsorship and community donations. The guaranteed support we’ve received from NRC and Northland ratepayers in the past has allowed the Trust to operate with some confidence in our ability to cover costs.

Mr Ahlers says the new proposal would introduce an element of uncertainty which would make planning for current workload and future growth in demand for services, a lot more difficult, with NEST effectively competing with other organisations for a slice of the pie.

“We are concerned that this will lead to an inevitable reduction in funding for NEST. Any future funding of NEST would be at the sole discretion of Council, and not ratepayers.

“We are extremely grateful for the level of support we receive from our community, and have always believed that the NRC targeted rate allows for the cost of the service to be spread more fairly across the region. That’s why we support a continuation of the existing guaranteed rating structure. It allows the Trust to concentrate on running an air ambulance service instead of having to constantly worry about fundraising.”

The NRC contribution covers about half of NEST’s annual shortfall in government funding with the balance coming from donations and sponsorship. NEST has experienced a constant increase in the demand for its services over recent years.

Last year alone NEST flew 735 missions and transported 800 people to hospitals or medical facilities around the north. On average, the helicopters are in the air twice a day.

“We are already extremely economic with our operations and have introduced a number of initiatives in the last couple of years to reduce costs and generate additional revenue. The flight simulator introduced last year to train our pilots is a good example of this. But this will not nearly cover the shortfall posed by a drop or lack of council funding.

“We hope the council values the service we provide and reconsiders this proposal. If we don’t have certainty around funding, we may be forced to review the level of service we can offer the community, which is currently 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.”

Council is seeking submissions to the proposed changes under its draft LTP document with submissions closing at 3pm on 24 April 2015.

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AT RISK: A cut in targeted rates funding may see Northland’s rescue helicopter service drastically reduced.