For in-flight service manager Te Aorere Redmond (Ngai Tuūhoe), the flight, a tribute to 50 years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week) was a milestone, but not a departure from his standard practice. He sees reo and tikanga as part of everyday service, not a special add-on.
Redmond recalls the first time he heard te reo spoken on a plane. He was in his early 20s, flying to the Gold Coast.
“It really gave me that sense of belonging,” he said. “For me, te reo Māori is our culture, it’s beautiful. Hearing it on board set the tone. I felt safe, I felt like I could connect authentically with the crew.”
He begins every flight in reo: “Mōrena” in the morning, “kia ora” any time.
“It sets the tone. It tells people they’re in a safe space. They know, okay, this is going to be a good flight.
You have less than 30 seconds to make that connection with passengers,” he said. “On the marae, we call it manaakitanga — care and safety, looking after people, building trust. That’s what I try to do every time.”
Redmond believes manaakitanga defines Air New Zealand’s kaupapa.
“Safety is the first job of an airline. But once that’s in place, manaakitanga is next. Looking after people as you would on the marae,” he said.
That, he added, means more than topping up a drink. “If I see someone uneasy, I’ll go and check in with them. It’s holistic. It’s about making sure people feel safe, valued, cared for.”
Manaakitanga anchors his daily crew briefings. “It gives us purpose,” he said.
Redmond credits those who normalised reo in the cabin before him. “All the foundational work was done before I joined. I’m standing on their shoulders.”
That groundwork means he has faced little resistance. “I’ve never had pushback because I’m the first voice they hear. I greet them, I build trust, I use humour. Passengers respond positively. They get it.”
The impact, Redmond believes, extends beyond a single flight.
“Our next generation – that’s my biggest why. I want them to grow up in a world where te reo is living and thriving at their national carrier. When kids hear te reo on board, it normalises it. It shows them it belongs in every space.”
Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer, Kiri Hannifin, said the service captured the airline’s passion for championing the language.
“Our crew carry te reo Māori with them all over the world, making it part of the journey wherever we fly. This special flight was our way of celebrating both the language itself and 50 years of Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, a milestone for Aotearoa that we are incredibly proud to honour.”
She said it was 11 years since customer-facing crew first began greeting customers with ‘kia ora’, and today te reo Māori was woven throughout the inflight experience.
“Crew who can kōrero wear the Tohu Reo pin so customers can identify them; our international flights feature a dedicated ‘Te Ao Māori’ category on inflight entertainment; and our values are expressed through whakataukī (Māori proverbs).”
On Friday, as the first passengers on Flight NZ634 filed down the aisle, Redmond’s vision became real: a full plane, crewed by Māori, delivering service in te reo without hesitation.
For him, it was manaakitanga in motion.
“On board, it’s like we’re at the marae,” he said. “Except we’re flying through the sky.”
