Peter Button

Who was Peter Button?

Peter Thomas Button OBE was a pioneering rescue helicopter pilot in Wellington, New Zealand. Button established the firm Capital Helicopters in 1975 and made his aircraft available for use in emergencies. He was a witness of the sinking of the inter-island ferry TEV Wahine in 1968, and is thought to have had the idea of a rescue helicopter service as a result of this experience. The hilly terrain of Wellington means that helicopters are often used for building and arboriculture work due to the difficulty of site access, which meant that the pilots at Capital Helicopters were particularly skilled in precision flying, and thus suited to rescue work. Thanks to a sponsorship deal in the early eighties Button was able to dedicate one of his helicopters solely to rescues. Since Button established the service there has been a rescue helicopter service in Wellington, for most of that period under the name of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.