It was a six month slog, a much more torturous path than it should have been but we made it...

The rescue helicopter bases at Whitianga, Te Anau and Taupo are being retained with a new base being approved for Queenstown. The new base at Queenstown will provide much-needed cover over the central and southern parts of the South Island.

The rescue helicopter base in Rotorua is not being retained and this was always on the cards. But...as we have said throughout this campaign, it is not about what helicopter is where: it is all about maintaining a level of service, especially the so-critical time from alert to (paramedic) boots on the ground. Central between rescue bases at Taupo, Tauranga, Hamilton, Gisborne, Hastings and Whitianga, and with so many people monitoring the service levels it is more likely that the Rotorua area will enjoy a higher level of rescue helicopter service than before.

Almost 49,000 people signed this petition. We deliberately left it open as its existence served a purpose in promoting the campaign and provided a voice for all the rescue helicopters' supporters. The plan now is to submit the petition to the Auditor-General to promote a review of processes with the Ministry of Health and NASO so that a screwed up proposal like this should not happen again...

This was very much a team effort and our victory would not have been possible without all these groups, organisations and individuals mucking in to make it work...

Thanking everyone who helped, contributed, spread the word...

The tireless Lyndal Gill of the Tuatapere Volunteer Fire Brigade who generated so much support from community groups across the South Island and who secured us some of our best media hook-ups.

The fighting mayors: Don Cameron (Ruapehu), David Trevawas (Taupo), Stevie Chadwick (Rotorua) and Sandra Goudie (Thames-Coromandel).

Jan-Marie Quinn who organised the first march in Taupo and had the march on Parliament in her back pocket if we needed it.

The MPs who organised local support and who walked the floors in Parliament... Hamish Walker, Louise Upston, Ian McKelvie, Todd McClay, Scott Simpson, Tim MacIndoe

The rescue helicopter trusts for working so hard in the background to build practical alliances that would meet the tender requirements - and for keeping flying at a time when crews didn't know if they would have jobs after 1 November.

John Funnel and Jules Tapper for so freely sharing their decades of experience with New Zealand rescue helicopters

ACC for the documents that it released under the OIA that demonstrated just how flawed the NASO proposal was

Dean Sumner for organising the Rotorua resistance movement...

The medical community that pushed back against the craziness; special note to the doctors at Fiordland Health who took the fight to the most senior doctors at the Ministry of Health.

The media for giving us a voice and for staying the course on such a long campaign...Sam@TV1, Rachael Kelly, Laurilee McMichael, Robert Steven, Tyler, Sarah, Duncan and the RadioLive rural crew, Stephan Bosman, Abby@SkiFM, Olivia@Radio Active...

All the first responders who couldn't speak publicly but who provided so much appreciated moral support - and who kept on going out and doing the business during the uncertainty over our helicopters...

...and everyone who just enough to sign the petition, to add a comment, who support the NZ Rescue Helicopters FB page, who came to the marches and rallies in Taupo, Rotorua and Whitianga...

Thank you