Wānaka Helicopters is marking a milestone this year, with women making up 50 percent of its 2025 Diploma in Aviation intake.

This is a significant achievement in a sector where, globally, fewer than six percent of helicopter pilots are female, Wānaka Helicopters CEO Peter Spencer-Bower said.

“Wānaka Helicopters is really proud to help more women become pilots,” he said.

“We fund our own helicopter scholarship ($5,000) and aeroplane ($2,000) scholarship exclusively for female candidates in each diploma enrolment year.”

While global initiatives like the International Air Transport Association’s ‘25by2025’ campaign aim to lift female representation in aviation to 25 percent, female helicopter pilot numbers remain stubbornly low. 

In New Zealand, support groups such as the New Zealand Association of Women in Aviation provide scholarships and mentorship, but female helicopter pilot numbers are still hovering around three-to-five percent across the OECD.

This has been attributed, in part, to a lack of exposure to female role models in the profession.

Commercial helicopter pilot Brianna Curtis said barriers based solely on gender have largely fallen away, but the industry still suffers from a visibility problem. 

“I don't think there are many, if any, barriers based solely on gender, now, that limit women getting into aviation, but… because there wasn't the exposure to it to help make that decision,” she said. 

“Times have changed a lot… in my experience so far, aviation has been a welcoming, accepting and an overwhelmingly supportive industry for anyone to join, as I suspected it would be.”

Wānaka Helicopters says early engagement through school visits, community events and information sessions has played an important role in raising awareness locally. 

With demand for pilots on the rise, it is hoped this year’s intake numbers signals a lasting shift.

Applications for the 2026 Diploma in Aviation are now open. Find more information here.

PHOTO: Supplied