Tom Sainsbury, Simran Kaur, Josh Emett and Dame Valerie Adams are ambassadors for Air New Zealand's Dream Seats. Photo / Air NZ
Tom Sainsbury, Simran Kaur, Josh Emett and Dame Valerie Adams are ambassadors for Air New Zealand's Dream Seats. Photo / Air NZ
From grand Olympic stadiums to local tracks and everything in between, travel has been an important part of champion shot putter Dame Valerie Adams’ career.
Now she wants to help other Kiwis reach the places, both literal and personal, they aspire to go.
Alongside golfinglegend Ryan Fox, rugby league player Shaun Johnson, acclaimed chef Josh Emett, financial educator Simran Kaur, and comedian Tom Sainsbury, Adams will be an ambassador for the Air New Zealand Dream Seats campaign, launched today.
Through the initiative, which Air NZ says aims to help people achieve their ambitions, more than 100 Kiwis will be offered domestic or international flights to move closer to professional opportunities.
The online application process involves writing a submission which explains how a Dream Seat could help develop an ambition, business, opportunity or idea.
Dream Seats ambassadors Josh Emett and Valerie Adams. Photo / Air NZ
Each ambassador will also personally award two top applicants with Dream Seats and provide them with mentoring.
“Travel was an integral part of my journey. It involved early morning flights, long layovers, missed celebrations, and time spent away from home,” says Adams.
“Yet, it also opened doors to new opportunities. Sometimes, a single flight has the power to transform everything.”
Chef Josh Emett, a former judge on Masterchef New Zealand, says he left New Zealand with a one-way ticket to London and “a dream of making it in the food world”.
Josh Emmett: "I know how powerful it is when someone backs your potential and now, I want to do the same for another Kiwi". Photo / Dean Purcell
“I worked in some of the toughest kitchens and eventually earned a place in Gordon Ramsay’s team. I know how powerful it is when someone backs your potential and now, I want to do the same for another Kiwi.
“I’ll be looking for someone who’s already put in the work and just needs that extra push to go further,” he says.
For former Warriors player Johnson, some of the biggest moments of his career came from when he was representing New Zealand overseas and testing himself “against the best”.
“But it all started here at home, playing for the Warriors, grinding through the early days, and having people who believed in me before the spotlight found me.
“Travel has opened doors for me, but it was the support behind the scenes that got me on the plane. That’s what Dream Seats is all about. I want to help someone who’s already doing the work and just needs that boost to get where they’re meant to be.”
Two-time PGA Tour winner Fox says representing New Zealand on the world stage has been one of the “great honours” of his life. But it wasn’t easy for him to get there.
Ryan Fox with his family after winning the Canadian Open. Photo / Getty Imgaes
“It took years of hard work, a lot of travel, and time away from my family to get there. I had an incredible support system, and I still do, and that makes all the difference. That’s why Dream Seats means a lot to me.”
Air NZ chief executive Greg Foran says Dream Seats isn’t a one-off campaign.
“It’s part of our enduring commitment to champion Kiwi success, here at home and on the global stage,” he says.
“This isn’t about granting wishes,” adds Foran. “It’s about backing New Zealanders who are already doing the hard work and helping them take the next step, not just in their journey, but in their lives.”
Applications are open online via dreamseats.co.nz.
Candidates are expected to share details on how the opportunity could help propel them towards something bigger.
