Date Time Rescue helicopters key to flooding response as Chopper Appeal hits million dollar mark The value of New Zealand’s rescue helicopters in a crisis was never clearer than this week, as chopper crews played a key role in the response to major flooding across the upper South Island. In one particularly dramatic rescue, the Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter plucked a man from the roof of his campervan as floodwaters surrounded him in the Motueka Valley. Credit: Carol McKeever It came as this year’s Westpac Chopper Appeal reached a final national fundraising haul of $1,105,984, thanks to the tireless efforts of Kiwi communities.