Mr English and his wife, Dr Mary English, were welcomed to the trust's base of operations by chairman Jules Tapper plus Queenstown representatives of the police, St John Wakatipu, Alpine Cliff Rescue and helicopter pilots at Queenstown Aerodrome.
The funding boost is part of the Government's $48 million commitment to implementing a New Zealand Ambulance Services Strategy over the next four years.
The Lakes District Air Rescue Trust is but one of 16 services across New Zealand that provide life-saving air transport for critically ill or injured people.
However, Mr Tapper said he and members of the trust felt it was the most cost-effective service in the country, helped by the co-operation of up to a dozen helicopters and their pilots from three Queenstown helicopter companies and one Te Anau company.
The service responded to between 200 and 250 emergency calls every year, Mr Tapper said.
Mr English said he was impressed with the Lakes District Air Rescue Trust's efficiency, in that it "pretty much runs on the smell of an oily rag", but gave the same level of service and safety as state-funded rescue operations.
About $41,000 of the contribution had already been spent on a new "LifePak" monitor and defibrillator for onboard use on helicopters.
