The Flying Doctor Emma Takes To The Skies

Aucklander Emma Batistich (41) Goes to Great Heights to Help.

- Fleur Mealing

I’d been a specialist in emergency medicine for nearly 10 years. About three and a half years ago, I felt like I needed another challenge. I’d come out of a relationship that had left me feeling really broken and dejected. So I thought, ‘Okay, what can I do to add another challenge to my life and expand my career?’ So I contacted the clinical director of the rescue helicopter and he thought I’d be a good fit for the team.

I usually start about 7 am. I come down to the base at Mechanics Bay, chat to the crew, and we do all our checks and make sure everything is ready to go. Then we do a morning brief where we sit down and talk about any things that might be going on during the day. We talk about the weather, what’s going on along the coastline and then we just wait for something to happen.

Our hotline goes off and we get tasked to a job. We could get anything, anywhere – it’s completely unpredictable.

Waiheke is big business for us because to get off Waiheke, you have to go on a ferry. If you’re unwell, there is only one way off and that’s by helicopter. We like providing a service for our Waihetian neighbours. It takes us just eight minutes to get to Waiheke. It’s really, really quick.