The continued presence of Northland’s rescue helicopter base in Kensington will be the focus of three Whangārei District Council community drop-in sessions.

The council last week revealed an up-to-three-year lease extension for the rescue helicopter base in Western Hills Drive.

Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) leases council land for the Kensington helicopter base, with the 10-year lease due to expire on July 31.

Three helicopters operate out of the base in the middle of a residential area next to a school and on the edge of Kensington Sports Park, used by thousands of people each month. The helicopters make about 1200 trips annually for emergency rescues and hospital transfers.

The events are all at Kensington stadium over the next three weeks, in the wake of the lease extension.

The first will be on Wednesday, April 26, upstairs in the stadium’s No. 2 meeting room from 2pm to about 4pm. The second and third meetings will be in a different upstairs meeting room, beside Refuel Cafe, on May 4 from 1.30pm to about 3.30pm, and May 9 from noon to about 2pm.

Council district development manager Tony Collins acknowledged many people in the Kensington community had been anticipating the rescue helicopter operation’s departure and would probably be disappointed by news of the shift delay.

“We [Whangārei District Council] are happy to talk to anyone concerned about or seeking more information on the matter,” Collins said.

The district council will this week be sending out hundreds of letters to residents most affected by the lease extension.

Collins said the decision was being undertaken by NEST, which owned and operated the trust — separately from the council.

“Our council’s only role is to assess any application for a new site in light of the rules and regulations that apply under the District Plan and any other relevant legislation that we are bound by,” Collins said.

That assessment would equally apply to council and non-council land.

■ Local Democracy Reporting is Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air.