New Heliport in New Zealand

[johns4y]

I've just recently moved to Winton, Southland, and I have read in the local paper that a new helipad is being built here. It will be located behind the New World supermarket on land owned by the local council. Work starts next week with completion in April and the official opening sometime in May. I don't have a date for this yet but will post it here when I find out. The helipad will mostly accommodate flights by Southland Rescue Helicopters, but it is believed this will expand to other operators over time.
The site is is about 1km from me so I'm really looking forward to it's opening. Talking of helicopter flights in New Zealand, I wonder if anyone can tell me why a lot of them on FR24 do not display their registration? And, can anyone tell me how I can find out the new code for the Winton Heliport?

[Uli_FR24]

Flights may not display their registration due to a few common reasons:



1. Use of Generic ICAO Call Signs

• Some helicopter operators, especially commercial ones, use company-specific or generic call signs (e.g., “RESCUE01” or “HELI123”) instead of the aircraft’s registration as the flight ID.

• FR24 typically displays the call sign or flight ID first, and if it doesn’t match the registration format, the reg might not appear in the main label.




2. ADS-B Data Configuration

• Some helicopters may broadcast partial or incorrect Mode-S / ADS-B data, especially older models or those using older transponders.

• This could result in FR24 receiving position data but missing or incomplete aircraft registration info.




3. Privacy and Filtering

• Some private operators in NZ (especially for VIP or sensitive missions like medical or law enforcement flights) may request obfuscation or opt out of full data sharing, meaning the registration might be hidden or anonymized on platforms like FR24.




4. Database Linking Limitations

• If an aircraft’s hex code is new or not properly linked to FR24’s database, the platform might not automatically associate it with a registration, even if the hex code is transmitting.