The team at the Phillips Rescue Trust have highlighted the brilliant work done by the women in their service this International Women's Day - including one in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty region.

Kat, a crewman for the TECT Rescue Helicopter, hopped onboard the service with an array of experience from working as a medic in the Royal New Zealand Airforce where she completed her Bachelor of Health Science.

Kat loves to hear about patient's recoveries and seeing the impact her job has on people. From friends to whānau, Kat sees first-hand the initial raw and real emotions that come with every mission. This can be difficult at times, particularly at the scene of critical accidents and is something she finds quite challenging, but with her fellow crew backing and supporting her, she is able to navigate this challenge by talking it through with the team.

The rescue helicopter is a service that is lucky enough to have the support of the community behind it, and this is Kat's favourite thing about her role. She relives her fondest memory of working with the rescue helicopters, where the locals selflessly pitched in to help their rescue crew get to where they needed to be.

'After landing in a field in Mangakino due to the density of the houses we had a few streets to walk before we got to the patient,” says Kat.

'Luckily a local was driving by and stopped to give us a lift, so with all our gear myself and the ICP crammed into her tiny hatchback. She was stoked that she could help us and someone in her community and to be a part of the process”.

Over 2022, Kat hopes to be involved in some technically challenging jobs, to further her expertise and knowledge so that she can always remain rescue ready.

After a challenging and isolating year, she also hopes to spend more quality time with her whānau and friends.