Oamaru-based Heliventures NZ is fast becoming nationally recognised for its diverse work across the commercial, agricultural and tourism sectors. Whether it be escorting newlyweds to remote locations in the Southern Alps, helping companies with power line construction, tracking wallabies in the backcountry or being called for search and rescue work, the growing team is available almost every day of the year.
Owners Craig and Nicki McMillian literally started out of a paddock in 2011 with just one helicopter and quickly grew. Operating out of the Oamaru airport, with a base also at Pukaki, Heliventures now covers the entire South Island and sometimes travels to the North Island with its crew of highly experienced pilots and ground crew. Nicki says they will continue to grow their business and explore ways to diversify. “With an ever-changing industry, it is important we are flexible and ready to pivot to meet any new needs.”
The company has a diverse fleet of seven helicopters ranging from a small Schweizer 300 Helicopter, which is ideal for pest control and training, McDonnell Douglas 520N helicopters, renowned for their significantly quieter noise footprint, a large AS350B3+ helicopter for heavy precision lifting jobs and a twin-engine helicopter, which is perfect for jobs requiring the highest safety margins. They have recently diversified into drones as well to cover all bases.
“We put a lot of time and resources into training pilots and ground crew within our company to ensure we have the right people for the job.”
Being based in the central South Island means just about every industry relies on helicopters for work of some kind – mustering and animal control in the high country, culling deer, goats and wallabies and live animal capture, which is one of its specialties. In winter and spring, they are often called on to carry out frost fighting for vineyards and orchards, and pilots also do a lot of precision lifts, film, photography, hunting and fishing trips, just to keep things interesting.
Nicki says the industry can be extremely challenging at times, particularly sourcing parts for its helicopters. “Parts have ever-increasing lead times and sometimes have to be ordered up to 18 months in advance. As we are buying parts in US dollars or euros, the fluctuations in currency values can also have a really significant impact on our business. As with many things in the world right now, the prices of our helicopter parts are also skyrocketing, along with shipping costs.”
The company’s diverse range of work means they have to constantly adapt to changing rules and regulations from different councils across each district. And like any specialised industry, they often face challenges finding the skilled staff they need. “Aircraft engineers and pilots can be difficult to find at times; however, like many industries, the shortage comes and goes a bit depending on a number of factors.”
“We put a lot of time and resources into training pilots and ground crew within our company to ensure we have the right people for the job. Once we take someone on, there are often ways we can help them advance in the industry.”
© Waterford Press Ltd 2025 – Independent Print Media New Zealand
