Emergency services have set up a base of operations at Battle Hill Farm Forest Park. Police have set up a cordon at the entrance to the popular camping area.
Maritime NZ said two rescue helicopters and police were in the area and support from Fire and Emergency was being organised.
A Fire and Emergency shift manager told NZME they had two crews in the area from Porirua and had sent out their “line rescue team”.
“You might also know it as rope rescue,” he said.
Line rescue teams are trained in high-angle, vertical, or challenging terrain, often handling rescues at height or in confined spaces.
Spokespeople for both Kāpiti and Wellington airports said the flight was not associated with them.
A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said they were aware of the crash in the Akatarawa Forest area.
“At this stage, the CAA will make initial enquiries to understand what occurred and why, and to determine whether any further action is required.”
Ōtaki MP Tim Costley, who previously served as a helicopter pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, posted on social media about the crash reports.
“Hoping for the best outcome and thinking of all involved,” Costley wrote.
The area has previously had other helicopter crashes, including a fatal one in nearby Pukerua Bay in 2010.
The NZ Defence Force pleaded guilty in 2014 for the deadly incident, with a court hearing Air Force commanders allowed a dangerous and deadly culture of rule-breaking to exist in an environment which had few warning systems, ultimately resulting in the unnecessary deaths of three young airmen.
In 2017 another chopper came down in the Pauatahanui inlet, with pilot Rick Lucas managing to escape the sinking aircraft.
The BK117 A-3 helicopter was being used to transport three 11-metre hardwood power poles when Lucas lost control and plunged into the water below.
An investigation showed a phenomenon known as “unanticipated yaw” was probably responsible for the crash.
Unanticipated yaw is when the body of the helicopter begins to move in the opposite direction to the rotors. It can be fixed if the pilot notices it and acts quickly.
More to come