Please attribute to Senior Sergeant Cliff Metcalfe:
Police remain at the scene of a fatal helicopter crash in Glenbervie forest, north of Whangarei.
With the assistance of the LandSAR specialist cliff rescue team from Whangarei, the bodies of the deceased will be removed from the scene today.
Due to the nature of the terrain and location of the wreckage this could take some time. Once removed, they will be taken to Auckland where a post-mortem will be completed.
Formal identification is yet to take place however we believe we have identified the deceased and are currently in the process of ensuring all next-of-kin have been informed.
The Civil Aviation Authority will be arriving in Whangarei today and will be taken to the site to begin their investigation into what caused the Robinson R44 to crash.
A further update will be provided later today.
ENDS
Shelley Nahr/NZ Police