Araraurangi Air New Zealand marked 50 years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori with a special service between Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Tāhuna Queenstown, turning the flight into a celebration of the language and its place in Aotearoa.
Passengers on flights NZ635 and NZ616 were immersed in te reo Māori from check-in to touchdown, with greetings, announcements and waiata creating an atmosphere of celebration and connection.
Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Kiri Hannifin, said the service reflected the airline’s ongoing commitment to the language. She said crew carry te reo Māori with them all over the world, making it part of the journey wherever they fly.
Senior Specialist – Māori Development, Bari Mio (Ngāti Awa, Tūhoe, Te Whānau ā Apanui), said the event was fuelled by aroha and pride, and aimed to honour the past 50 years while looking to the future.
Among those leading the celebration was Inflight Service Manager Te Aorere Redmond, who wore his Tohu Reo pin, a symbol of fluency and invitation for passengers to kōrero Māori. Redmond said using te reo in meaningful ways creates opportunities for it to grow and inspire others.
Short haul cabin crew member Kiaani Witana said taking part was a privilege and spoke of the pride in representing her whānau, hāpori and te iwi Māori on flights across the world.
Seats on both services were packed with customers eager to be part of the milestone celebration, many reflecting on the journey te reo Māori has taken over five decades and its future.
Hannifin said the anniversary gave the flights a special significance, noting that it has been 11 years since crew first began greeting customers with “kia ora”. Today, te reo Māori is woven throughout the inflight experience, with Tohu Reo pins to identify fluent crew, a dedicated Te Ao Māori category on international inflight entertainment, and airline values expressed through whakataukī (Māori proverbs).
