Dave Greenberg spent 25 years as a crewman on the Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter, responding to more than 4,000 missions in conditions where decisions had immediate and often irreversible consequences. From open-sea winch rescues in Cook Strait to searches in fog-filled ravines below legal minimums, the work demanded disciplined decision-making, clear escalation, and calm communication when the pressure was real.

He later took the same operational lens into the strategic tier. During New Zealand's Covid-19 response, Dave served as a Response Manager within the National Outbreak Response Team, working daily with the Director-General of Health, attending Cabinet meetings as an advisor to the Director-General, and serving as Controller during the national response to the Waikato DHB cyberattack.

Two altitudes. Same lesson.

Dave is a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a CIMS Level 4 instructor, holds a Graduate Certificate in Emergency Management from Massey University, and is the author of Emergency Response: Life, Death and Helicopters (Penguin Random House). He is based in Wellington and works across New Zealand, Australia, and Asia-Pacific.