Couple missing in Kahurangi National Park

*If someone calls an ambulance for an emergency isn't there also a fee? (unless you're in Wellington )* St John will charge patients a "part charge" of $98 if the call out is based on a medical event. Traumatic events (car accidents, falls etc..) are covered completely by ACC and there is no charge to the patient.

If back country rescues were a non stop highly structured service which relied on a single entity to repeatedly provide consistent and easily predictable professional services, then having a cost structure which can be reasonably planned around might make sense. But, unlike regular ambulance services, they're not. They're infrequent, and often require highly specialised coordination. It's often not clear what will be needed nor how much or for how long, nor who will be involved. The response and commitment often has to be split between multiple government agencies, commercial providers, military and volunteers. Costs could be very little or disproportionately high, and the nature of costs often depends on decisions made by someone without any consideration or approval by a person who might be a target of the rescue and be liable to pay for it. It's not out of the question for someone to argue that people should pay for rescue under some circumstances (I disagree), but I think it's simplistic to try and compare the whole thing with ambulances.

once a search is initiated , the people being searched for have little control over what the cost is going to be. who's going to call for a rescue if you think you're going to get charged tends of thousands of dollars if you think you might be able to get by without one, then how do things play out for you, you end up with declining health because you delayed asking for a rescue... you wander further away from a potential search area and get more lost. night comes and you set off a beacon then a helicopter gets sent at night instead of day because they treat the rescue as life and death.. the weather deteriorates making it more difficult and dangerous for the searchers... fast response can be life and death, some injuries require the person gets to hospital as soon as possible, to avoid major complications or death...

Helicopter = air ambuance. Charged thousands of dollars ?. You're lost or injured but choose not to hit the button ?. Your choice.