Milford Helicopters is closed on Christmas Day

Our Contribution

Giving back to our people, our place.
Helicopter landed on a mountain overlooking a fjord under clear blue skies.

We don’t take living and exploring in some of New Zealand’s most remote landscapes for granted. Fiordland, Milford Sound, Stewart Island and surrounds mean the world to us, which makes giving back to these places and the people in these communities our top priority. And in doing so, we’re helping protect our home for generations to come.

For us, sustainability isn’t about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good. It’s not a box we can tick, it’s a way of life. We’re constantly striving for ways to preserve our environment, help our community, and improve our knowledge. We know exactly how lucky we are to call this place home, and we’ll do our best to protect it.

Community Support

Te Anau Helicopter Services is proud to support several charitable organisations and agencies, with a special focus on children’s causes. We support the local Southern Stars Race Day Ramble, Mavora Explorer, Heart KidsSouthland Regional Autism, Going Bananas, and the 900 Degrees Child Safety Handbook. We also sponsor the Stewart Island / Rakiura Community & Environment Trust (SIRCET).

We support local sports clubs, including the Fiordland Squash Club and the Fiordland Hockey Tournament. We’re the title sponsor for the annual King’s Birthday Fiordland Big 3 hunting competition, supporting our hunting community and encouraging outdoor pursuits. We’re proud to be involved with both the Queenstown Milford Airport User Group and the Te Anau Airport User Group.

We collaborate with local artists and creatives for content production, and do our best to give back to our community by supporting local suppliers wherever we can. We respect the many cultures that fly with us and have tailored our offerings to both Kiwis and international visitors. We love sharing stories of our region and helping communities explore our backyard.

Environment

The restoration of native flora and fauna is hugely important to us. We support initiatives that encourage restoration, such as pest control, and that work to enhance, preserve and restore our natural environment. Our commitment is to work closely with companies that also choose to give back to our natural surroundings.

We support the Fiordland Trails Trust, who build and maintain walkways and tracks throughout the region, as well as the Tamatea Dusky Sound Project through Pure Salt. In fact, visitors to our Te Anau Airport base can explore some of the supporting artworks from the Tamatea Project on display in our waiting area. We also support the Department of Conservation and the many experienced teams within this group, including the Kiwi, Kākāpō and Takahē teams.

We encourage our visitors to leave no trace when exploring remote locations, a shared approach that fosters respect for the land. We minimise waste resulting from our daily business operations and encourage recycling amongst both clients and internal teams.

Always growing

We strive for continued learning in all areas. We attend conferences and industry events, and regularly review feedback from clients and staff to continue offering the highest quality services in our industry. We seek out improvements to refine our processes and offerings, and continually work towards better efficiencies.

Local knowledge and history are always shared with our clients as they journey through Fiordland, so they too can feel connected to our land. We’re big on sharing stories, sharing knowledge, and learning from our past to guide our future.

From checking in on native birds to helping with trap setting, our team is always keen to get involved in local projects, helping and learning wherever they can. For those interested in the industry, we do our best to share our knowledge of aviation and tourism, and support students who are part of Gateway for work experience days.

Te Anau Helicopter Services is proud of how we are currently able to contribute to our people, place and planet. As we grow, we will continue to discover, develop, learn and understand our impacts, seeking improvements and striving for continued growth with every conversation.