The community is being celebrated for supporting the purchase of two state-of-the-art transport incubators in a major advancement in neonatal transport.
The NXTGen incubators were purchased thanks to support from Air Rescue and Community Services, the J.I. Urquhart Family Trust, St Vianney’s Timaru Trust and generous donations from the NZ Flying Doctor Trust Garden Party.
The incubators will be used in the rescue helicopters and on the New Zealand Flying Doctor fixed wing planes.
“Moving the sickest and smallest babies around the country is as challenging as medicine can get. Having the newest and most advanced equipment to provide life support to these babies truly saves lives and improves outcomes to the most precious patients.”
Dr Ruth Sinclair, Neonatal Paediatrician and transport lead for the Christchurch Neonatal Unit
One of the incubators recently underwent testing at the air ambulance base. Specialists needed to finalise details of the bespoke mounting and transportation systems being developed for the incubator.
“It was wonderful to see first-hand how, thanks to our community’s support, we are ensuring our most fragile travellers receive the very best care possible while in the air,” says Christine Prince, CEO of the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust.
The Canterbury Westpac Rescue Helicopter and the West Coast ROA Mining Rescue Helicopter has responded to 732 missions between January and August 2025. Interhospital patient transfers account for 18% of all missions.
St Vianney’s Timaru Trust Chair Dale Walden says the impact of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and New Zealand Flying Doctor service is immense.
“Many people are not aware that 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the rescue helicopter service and the New Zealand Flying Doctor service is on call for patients who need immediate and critical air transport. We are proud to be supporting the Service’s youngest patients by helping fund the purchase of this high-tech transport incubator.”
Dale Walden, Chair St Vianney’s Timaru Trust
Dr Ruth Sinclair says the new NXTGen transport incubators are an improvement on the incubators currently in use. They boast a specialist configuration to enable use in the air and have a range of advanced features including smart thermoregulation, built-in ventilators, heated mattresses and extended battery life.
“These new incubators reflect the great advances that have been made in neonatal transport over the past decade. The biggest improvement is the new ventilator that can synchronize better with babies and provide tidal volumes as low as 2 ml for effective, safe, and lung‑protective ventilation.”
“This is a game changer when moving the smallest and most preterm babies.”
As well as being substantially lighter, the design of the new incubator enables increased access to the baby, the new pumps have improved safety features, and phototherapy can be given.
The New Zealand Flying Doctor and rescue helicopter services are responsible for moving the most extreme preterm infants and those who are critically unwell to specialist care at Christchurch Hospital or, if required, to Starship in Auckland. The service also supports the babies on their journeys back to their home hospital.
The final commissioning of the incubators is currently underway, with the incubators expected to be in service in the coming months.
