Coromandel locals have turned out in their thousands on Saturday afternoon, furious at the prospect of losing the area's rescue helicopter service.
It's just one region whose service could soon end, under a new government proposal announced in recent weeks.
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Coromandel locals are angry and have a clear message for the Ministry of Health.
"Get their heads out of their butts - that's what I say to them, get real," one protester says.
They're angry because the national ambulance service, which operates under the ministry, is upgrading services but will have to cut a number of bases. That proposal includes the Coromandel Rescue Helicopter based in Whitianga, which carried out more than 300 missions last year.
Walter Russell chairs the trust that runs the helicopter and has been at the helm for a number of years.
"Everything it seems it seems they're asking for is for the betterment of the patient, and I don't see what we could do better. It's just crazy," he says.
The Coromandel electorate has the largest number of people over 65 in the country, an age where more medical help is needed. It's not hard to find locals who have depended on the rescue helicopter.
"I was having a stroke and I'm fine now, but if it wasn't for them goodness knows what would have happened," one person says.
"I live in Matarangi and had a major heart attack, and if it wasn't for the helicopter I probably wouldn't be here," says another.
The Ministry of Health tells Newshub many helicopters used by rescue services are getting old and don't meet newer safety requirements. It says the proposal is about making sure emergency services are working together, and if the current system continues more people will die.
As well as Whitianga, Rotorua, Taupō and Te Anau are among the services at risk of being axed.
Newshub.
