The Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust has ordered two AgustaWestland AW169 helicopters, the first sale of the type in Australasia.
According to local distributor Heliflite, the AW169s will be delivered in 2015 and will be used for emergency medical retrievals and search and rescue missions.
The 4.5 tonne class AW169 is a development of the AW149 and was launched at the Farnborough Airshow in 2010. It is due to make its first flight in 2012.