The new plane will be used for domestic missions, including patient transfers from Hawke’s Bay Hospital to other specialist hospitals, and taking medical teams to Wairoa or transporting patients from that community.

The New Zealand Air Ambulance Service is owned by Skyline Healthcare Group, which has invested more than $5m in the plane.

It was bought second-hand and has undergone a full refurbishment to make it fit for purpose.

Skyline Healthcare chief executive Annabel Toogood told a gathering at the unveiling, “This plane will save lives.

“It’s a really busy base,” she said of their operations at Hawke’s Bay Airport.

“On any given day, we could move between five and 14 patients to tertiary level care or other specialist services they need around New Zealand.

“And importantly, we are also the lifeline for Wairoa.

“We are in Wairoa most days bringing patients to Hawke’s Bay Hospital, and we operate that 24/7.”

They already boasted two domestic air ambulances at Hawke’s Bay Airport, but have moved one of those planes to another region while welcoming the new plane.

Toogood said while the new plane was effectively a replacement, it would add capacity in Hawke’s Bay as the new aircraft (a King Air B200C) was better suited for serving Wairoa.

It has been named Te Manu Karanga and includes artwork featuring a kāhu bird, designed by local artist Tim Whaitiri Henderson with support from EIT (Eastern Institute of Technology).

The plane’s registration, ZK-RFB, pays tribute to Dr Ross Freebairn of Hawke’s Bay Hospital, who has long served on air ambulance flights across New Zealand and the Pacific.

Health NZ Te Whatu Ora uses the New Zealand Air Ambulance Service as its air ambulance provider in Hawke’s Bay.