Game of Thrones and Shortland St stars in new Air NZ ad promoting Northland

Some of Northland's most spectacular sights and activities will feature in a new TV commercial designed to get more visitors to the region outside of summer.

Regional economic development agency Northland Inc has partnered with Air New Zealand and the Bay of Islands Marketing Group on a campaign of activity to attract visitors to the region beyond the peak summer months.

The airline previously worked with Northland on its in-flight Summer of Safety video which showcased the region to millions of people around the world.

The new campaign brings back Summer of Safety stars Joe Naufahu from Game of Thrones and Jayden Daniels from Shortland Street who showcase Northland highlights such as mountain biking around Waitangi, kayaking around Haruru Falls, exploring the caves of Motuarohia Island and sampling some of the fine local cuisine of fish and chips and a beer from the Duke of Marlborough Hotel.

The Northland region features in an upcoming Air New Zealand TV commercial and social media campaign, and the Summer of Safety video will also be reintroduced on international and domestic jet services over the coming weeks.

Air NZ head of regional affairs Reuben Levermore said the airline was committed to supercharging New Zealand's success economically, socially and environmentally and this includes partnering with regions to stimulate their economies.

"Air New Zealand is committed to working with councils, regional tourism offices, airports, chambers of commerce and iwi to build demand for visitation to regional New Zealand. We want to see regions benefit from sustainable tourism growth, including by attracting visitors in off-peak periods," Levermore said.

"The airline also supports regional events such as the Hawke's Bay International Marathon, Queenstown International Marathon, Hokitika Wildfoods Festival, Bluff Oyster Festival, New Plymouth Festival of Lights and ID Fashion Week in Dunedin."

Air NZ's Summer of Safety inflight video in 2017 featured a host of Kiwi stars, including Rachel Hunter, singer Ladyhawke, Daniels, Olympic pole vaulter Eliza McCartney and Naufahu, alongside a large cast of Northlanders. Of the views, 7.3 million were sparked by mainstream media and online coverage of the video.

Another 6.1 million viewers saw the video during Air NZ flights. Mainstream media from as far afield as Japan, Germany and China published 173 stories on the video.

In all, it is estimated the video reached a total audience of over 540 million in one month.
Far North District Council sponsored the video along with the Bay of Islands Marketing Group.