| Airline: | Helicopters (NZ) |
| Iata: | - |
| Icao: | - |
| Callsign: | - |
| Founded: | 1955 |
| Parent: | Petroleum Helicopters International[1] |
| Headquarters: | Nelson, New Zealand |
| Revenue: | CAD$26.8m[2] |
Helicopters New Zealand or HNZ was a New Zealand-based helicopter operator serving the oil and gas, EMS and government markets. Operating a mix of light and medium turbine-engined helicopters, it performed helicopter transport and air work for a number of private and government clients across Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Antarctica.
Founded in 1955 in Timaru, New Zealand, Helicopters New Zealand commenced operations with a Bell 47, conducting agricultural operations on the New Zealand South Island. The company grew and started providing helicopter air work services for the Government of New Zealand and oil and gas clients in the 1960s.[3]
In 1992, Helicopters New Zealand bought West Coast Helicopters renaming it Helicopters (Australia) Pty Ltd and obtained a foothold in the Australian Helicopter market.
In 2011, HNZ was purchased by Canadian Helicopters. In 2012, Canadian Helicopters Group Inc., the parent company for Canadian Helicopters and HNZ, changed its name to HNZ Group Inc.[4]
HNZ Group Inc's operations in the Pacific were sold to Petroleum Helicopters International in October 2017.[5] The remainder of HNZ Group Inc. was taken private and continued operations as Canadian Helicopters Limited.
HNZ operated on behalf of the following organisations:[6]
| Aircraft | Introduced | Retard | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 1996 | Six helicopters | ||
| 1975 | 1977 | One helicopter | ||
| 1969 | 1971 | Two helicopters | ||
| 1975 | 1978 | Three helicopters | ||
| 1957 | 1963 | Two helicopters | ||
| 1957 | 1965 | Three helicopters | ||
| 1963 | 1968 | One helicopter | ||
| 1965 | 1968 | One helicopter | ||
| 1965 | 1970 | Three helicopters | ||
| 1969 | 1981 | Six helicopters | ||
| 1965 | 1980 | Five helicopters | ||
| 1969 | 1981 | Five helicopters | ||
| 1968 | 1985 | Three helicopters | ||
| 1964 | 1965 | One helicopter | ||
| 1968 | 1969 | One helicopter | ||
| 1968 | 1969 | One helicopter | ||
| 1974 | 1994 | Six helicopters | ||
| 1985 | Current | Four helicopters. Three Bell 206B-2 jetRangers were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 1982 | Current | Three helicopters. Three Bell 206B-3 JetRangers were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 1975 | Current | Seven helicopters. One Bell 212 was still in service in 2006. | ||
| 2002 | Current | One helicopter | ||
| 2004 | Current | One helicopter | ||
| 1999 | Current | One helicopter | ||
| 2003 | 2004 | One aircraft | ||
| 1982 | Current | 12 helicopters. Two were in service in 2006. | ||
| 1998 | 1998 | One helicopter | ||
| 1991 | Current | 18 helicopters. 11 were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 1988 | Current | Eight helicopters. Four were still in service in 2006 | ||
| 1980 | Current | 15 helicopters. Eight were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 1994 | Current | Four helicopters. Two were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 1998 | Current | Two helicopters. Eight were still in service in 2006. | ||
| 2003 | 2004 | One helicopter | ||
| 1978 | 1981 | One helicopter | ||
| 1975 | 1976 | One helicopter | ||
| 1977 | 2004 | Nine helicopters | ||
| 2002 | 2004 | One helicopter | ||
| 1976 | 1982 | One aircraft | ||
| 2004 | 2005 | One aircraft | ||
| 1962 | 1963 | One helicopter. It crashed near Patea on 13 March 1963. | ||
| 1974 | 1984 | Two leased helicopters. The first S-58ET was leased form Cordan International. It was in service from 1974 to 1979. The second S-58ET was in service from 1983 to 1984. | ||
| 1976 | 1984 | Two leased helicopters. The first S-61N was leased from Okanaga Helicopters, Vancouver. It was in service from 1976 to 1978. The second S-61N was in service from 1983 to 1984. | ||
| Two helicopters |
As of April 2012, the HNZ fleet consisted of over 45 aircraft:[8] [9]