Before we get to why, let me bring you up to speed on what’s happened with the airline today, because the news is not good.
Air New Zealand has posted a half-year result showing a $59 million pre-tax loss, which is slightly worse than expected. And to be fair to Air New Zealand, a lot of this really isn’t their fault.
They’ve had not one, but two engine types in their fleet causing them trouble. And the economic downturn we’re experiencing in New Zealand - the worst in most of our lifetimes, you have to go back more than 50 years to find anything as bad - directly affects their earnings.
If we don’t have money, we’re certainly not spending money on flights.
But some of this is their fault. They’re squandering customer loyalty with poor on-time performance and a tired, diminished Koru Club offering.
And this is where David Seymour is right when he says, “Go woke, go broke.”
Because part of the reason Air New Zealand is losing customers to Jetstar is that there are people who no longer want to pay for Koru Club. The offering has slid from the good old days. You can’t even - and this bugs people more than the airline ever seemed to realise - go into the lounge, ask for a coffee, and take it away like you can at a café.
There are no takeaway coffees because Air New Zealand doesn’t want paper cups going on planes. Paper cups are bad for the environment… when you’re flying planes.
They’ve wasted time and money trialling an electric aircraft they don’t actually know how to integrate into their fleet. And they’re constantly lecturing the government about sustainable aviation fuel - SAF - which is more expensive than standard jet fuel, and standard jet fuel is already extremely expensive right now.
But here’s where David Seymour is wrong - he says the solution is to sell down the Government’s 51 percent stake in Air New Zealand.
We can’t do that.
We are an isolated island nation. There are only two ways to get here - by boat or by plane, and we all know which one people actually use.
We need to own those planes to make sure they keep flying. If we learned anything during COVID, it’s that Air New Zealand effectively became a logistics lifeline and repatriation service for the entire country.
So yes, David Seymour is part right and part wrong. We do need Air New Zealand to stop the distractions and start doing its job properly. And we do need it to remain in New Zealand hands.
Heather du Plessis-Allan is a journalist and commentator who hosts Newstalk ZB's Drive show. This article was sourced from Newstalk ZB.
5 comments:
We don't "need to own those planes". We do need to wake up to the fact that the government has been useless as a majority shareholder and Air New Zealand has become a chronic financial black hole for the NZ taxpayer. What's that saying about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result being the definition of insanity?
Our export and import sectors are highly dependent on shipping but nobody loses sleep because we don't own ships or shipping lines.
Seymour's right - the government should get out of the way and let a bit of fresh air blow through the sector.
>"We need to own those planes to make sure they keep flying."
Oh really.
Let's have a look at some data.
National carrier airlines can be wholly owned by the State (e.g. Emirates, Qatar, Malaysia, South African), partially owned by the State (e.g. Aeroflot [74%], Singapore [55%], NZ [52%], Turkish [49%], Air France-KLM consortium [29% and 9% respectively]). Emirates, Qatar Turkish and Singapore Airlines are doing great. NZ, South African and Malaysia are struggling. There is no clear, simple relationship between State ownership and airline performance. However, it is noteworthy in this context that privatisation is seen by many in the industry as the way forward for a struggling airline: Air India turned around when it was sold to the Tata Group, and both Pakistan Airlines and Aerolineas Argentinas are trying to privatise to dig themselves out of a deep hole. Finally, it is also noteworthy that the US has never had a State-owned carrier.
So I must disagree with Heather............ her assertion is one of dogma, but facts say something different.
Heather is asking a question rather than providing a direct opinion. Using the word woke is intellectually lazy, it appeals only to the lazy in the electorate. Seymour as a pure politician favours the easy votes over any legislating in order to benefit the populace and this topic shows him at his laziest and best.
Heather doesn’t write opinion pieces based on facts, logic etc. that’s why they’re called opinion pieces.
In response to "did the air NZ woke trend start with Luxon?" query, AI says:
While Prime Minister Christopher Luxon led Air New Zealand from 2013 to 2019, the "woke" trend, often associated with corporate social responsibility (CSR), diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and LGBTQI+ support, began developing under previous leadership and continued after his departure.
Key details regarding the trend and Luxon's tenure:
Foundation Pre-Dates Luxon: Air New Zealand's diversity and inclusion strategy was initiated earlier, with significant momentum for Pride initiatives and employee network development established by 2013.
Expansion During Tenure: Under Luxon’s leadership, the airline strengthened its focus on diversity, including establishing a pride network and advocating for gender-neutral policies in the workplace. He also oversaw the removal of a "moko policy" in 2019, which was seen as aligning with modern, inclusive cultural norms.
"Woke" Criticisms: The airline was described as "extremely woke" by external critics regarding its LGBTQI+ marketing, Pride involvement, and gender-based recruitment targets.
Political Context: As Prime Minister, Luxon has recently sought to distance himself from the "woke" label, joining an "anti-woke" crusade to reconsider DEI initiatives in the public sector.
Later Developments: Critics also noted that the airline's "woke" reputation grew significantly after his tenure, particularly in relation to ESG and climate targets, some of which the airline began walking back in 2024.
In summary, the trend was already in motion during the Rob Fyfe era, accelerated with inclusivity initiatives under Luxon, and became a prominent point of political contention later.
We fly with anyone other than AirNZ because of their racist attitudes - don't kia ora me !
How woke is AirNZ when they proudly announce that they did a flight with an all Maori crew with all communication done in te reo.
Don't tell me that it's branding for the International tourists, it just another government institution that has been white anted throughout.
And yes, it was happening under Luxon as CEO, clearly demonstrating his roll over attitude to anything Maori.
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