Reflection and connection were the watchwords for the national carrier’s latest ad. After 85 years in business, the airline delivers a nostalgic love song to Aotearoa.
The inspiration for Air New Zealand’s latest advert came from Aotearoa itself, says general manager global brand Grace Blewitt.
“We wanted to connect with our people and our culture and our communities. And then, we were looking at our 85th year, so we thought it was the right moment to reflect on the role Air New Zealand has.”
That reflection took them back 30 years to the airline’s 1996 ad, simply called ‘Birds’. It features native birds flying across Aotearoa as people go about their travels below. Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings Māori love song Pōkarekare Ana. At the end, the gannets fly together to form Air New Zealand’s logo.
“It was an absolutely beautiful ad and it really connected with both our people here and New Zealand as a whole,” says Blewitt.
“So when we were thinking of what idea we wanted to create, we looked back to that time. We wanted to look at how that reflected the best of New Zealand, the service we provide, the fact we are part of the fabric of the culture in the country.”
Blewitt describes the new ad, ‘Of New Zealand, for New Zealand’, as nostalgic, but with a modern twist: “It’s a heartfelt expression of how deeply we care.”
It was created by McCann Group New Zealand (formerly FCB Aotearoa) and agency ThoughtFull. This time, Kiwi singer-songwriter Marlon Williams (Kāi Tahu, Ngāi Tai) provides the vocals.
Released in January, the ad tells the stories of Kiwis and all the ways they use Air New Zealand – from getting flowers delivered for a friend to visiting loved ones or going on a family holiday.
“What’s really beautiful when you look back on the 85 years is that things continue to evolve. But it’s also really important to look at what doesn’t. And doing it with a modern twist as well – Marlon really brought that modernity,” says Blewitt.
Showcase and celebrate
A key focus of the campaign is to showcase and celebrate Air New Zealand’s staff, says Blewitt.
Much like in the airline’s safety videos, real staff members star. This includes flight attendant Anne-Marie Tait and her daughter Mila, as well as ground crew member Jamie Kean.
Kean, one of the airline’s longest serving employees, will reach his 50-year anniversary in 2027.
“We’ve got all these incredible Air New Zealanders at our fingertips, we don’t need to get people to act those roles,” says Blewitt. “Being able to bring real stories and real people, it was a beautiful synergy.”
The campaign also shows how Air New Zealand works with New Zealand’s export economy, by featuring cargo customer Prebbleton Peonies in Christchurch. Each year, the airline transports 700,000 peonies to markets around the world.
Doing justice to the waitata
Social media comments have been hugely positive. Kiwis and those watching internationally have posted how the advert has moved them and made them proud.
It’s the reaction Air New Zealand was hoping for. The responsibility of using much-loved waiata Pōkarekare Ana was not lost on the team, says Blewitt. The song originated around the time of World War I in 1914 and it is well-known locally and around the world.
“We wanted to make sure we do justice to the legacy of the song, as did Marlon Williams. We went through multiple samples and he did an absolutely outstanding job of creating it,” says Blewitt.
Blewitt adds they’ve found two camps of Kiwis – those who recall the original ad from 1996 or have some connection to the song, and those who might be hearing it for the first time.
“It just tells us the song stands the test of time,” she says.
The campaign is part of Air New Zealand’s new approach to branding. Blewitt says Kiwis can expect to see fewer individual campaigns and instead, a creative universe.
“More stories, more ways of articulating the brand, but done in a really cohesive consistent way. We’ve got lots of familiar ideas, but we want to push them even further. We want to bring things to life in a surprising way.”
A brand with mana
Air NZ has also refreshed its Airpoints loyalty programme – rebranded as Koru from April.
“Our customers were telling us their needs for travel have evolved. And so looking at our loyalty programme, we needed to make sure we could meet the needs of our customers,” says Blewitt.
“Airpoints served incredibly well for decades but this is about a new era of giving back for Air New Zealand. The Koru brand, it’s more simple, more rewarding, more personal, but it still retains the parts of the Airpoints programme customers really valued.”
Koru is already very familiar to customers from Air New Zealand lounges and the airline’s logo, says Blewitt.
“We were looking for a brand that has credibility, mana and the koru also represents renewal and connection.
“When we went to market, we heard a lot of people say it makes sense.”
This story comes from NZ Marketing magazine issue 86, March-May 2026. Why not subscribe? Get four issues a year for just $50 (including delivery) if you autorenew.
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