THE  BEST  OF  NEW  ZEALAND

Two tourists are spending a night out on Mt Cook in poor weather tonight after setting off an emergency beacon while climbing this afternoon.

One of the men, both aged in their 20s, had been suffering from suspected hypothermia but appeared to have recovered somewhat this evening, said Geoff Lunt, mission co-ordinator for the national rescue co-ordination centre.

The locator beacon was set off at 3.15pm, but poor visibility had prevented a search by a rescue helicopter this afternoon. The weather was not expected to clear until tomorrow morning.

Rescuers had made cellphone contact with the climbers, who are at about 3500m.

"They have built themselves a bivouac and they have sleeping bags and other equipment which will help them sit out the night. They are in good spirits considering," Mr Lunt said.

The beacon was registered to a Southland company that hires out emergency beacons.

Searchers will assess the situation early tomorrow.

WWF-New Zealand has teamed up with Massey University and some of the country’s leading designers, architects and artists to launch an innovative new green design competition as part of this year’s Earth Hour.

The Eco-innovations competition aims to celebrate and communicate the critical thinking and creative practices that can lead us down the path to a more sustainable future.

Creative design students from Massey University in Wellington are encouraged to submit a work – such as an object, event, photo, installation, animation, or a graphic– that proposes social innovations or objects, systems or spaces that do not exceed the planet’s capacity to sustain us.

The panel of expert judges includes 2009 NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, photographer Anne Noble, award winning Wellington architect Ian Athfield, innovative furniture designer David Trubridge and fashion designer and sustainable businesswoman Laurie Foon.

WWF Executive Director Chris Howe said: “Earth Hour is a great way to demonstrate your support for the planet. We’re asking as many Kiwis as possible to take part this year by turning off your lights and any unnecessary appliances for one hour on 27 March at 8.30pm. And to use this symbolic gesture as a starting point to ‘switch’ to more sustainable ways of living, so that every hour is Earth Hour.”

Anne Noble, 2009 NZ Arts Foundation Laureate, said: “The Eco-innovations competition is a way to showcase the importance of innovative design thinking to the creation of a more sustainable future We are looking for the outcomes of bright young designers approaching innovation and sustainability through thinking critically and creating new kinds of design artifacts, objects, processes, textiles, fashion designs, films, photographs and communication strategies. We want to see imaginations at play, creative and sustainable new uses of materials and processes as well as the innovative re-use of existing products or materials.”

Chris Howe concluded: “Eco-innovations is a hugely exciting and important initiative because it calls on New Zealand's young creative minds to shed light on a more sustainable future. This Earth Hour, we want to find out who will shine the brightest when the lights go off.”

Visit www.earthhour.org.nz for full competition details. Entries close 15 March.

An earthquake measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale has rocked Fiordland, Southland and Otago tonight.

The quake, centred off the coast of Fiordland,170km west of Invercargill, at a depth of 12km, would have been felt in Fiordland, Southland and Otago, the GeoNet website reported.

No damage was expected.

People as far away as Finland, Slovenia and Estonia are showing surprisingly great concern over the Transmission Gully route between Wellington and Levin.

The long-awaited road link was given the go ahead as part of a $2.1 billion upgrade of State Highway 1 by the Government in December.

However, more than 700 people from 49 countries have signed a petition expressing their concerns about the route, which passes through the Kapiti Coast.

The petition, organised by the Alliance for Sustainable Kapiti (ASK), calls on the government to instead adopt the package of transport options proposed by the Kapiti Coast District Council to the New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA).

These options include the building of a "two-lane Western Link Road" and continued "improvement to the rail system".

"The construction of a major expressway through the heart of the Kapiti district would drastically change the coastal suburban/rural character of our community," the petition letter said.

So far, the online petition has been signed by individuals from countries including Estonia, Taiwan, Finland, China, Slovenia, Germany, Rwanda, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, Chile, Canada, Palestine, Russia and Venezuela.

New Zealanders had also signed the petition, which was addressed to the Prime Minister.

The Hauraki Gulf island of Rotoroa has been gifted to the people of Auckland by its wealthy owners.

The island, which covers 82 hectares and lies just east of Waiheke Island, has been closed off to the general public for a century because it was used as an alcohol and drug rehabilitation centre.

Now philanthropists Neal and Annette Plowman, who made their fortune selling towel supplies, have funded a 99 year lease from the Salvation Army, and have formed a trust to create a conservation park and restore historic buildings, including a chapel, jail and school house.

The park will open in a year's time, and it is hoped it will become a drawcard much like Tiri Tiri Matangi.

New Zealand's prostitution laws are going before the world's most prestigious debating society.

Catherine Healy, coordinator for the Prostitutes Collective in New Zealand, will enter the Oxford Union debating chamber in England this week.

She will argue that sex work should be legalised.

Ms Healy says when she received the invitation in December, she thought it was a joke because it sounded so over the top.

She says she is hugely honoured.

Catherine Healy says there is already a lot of interest in England about New Zealand's prostitution laws, with many people calling for a human rights-based approach.

The tourism industry wants a world-class cruise ship terminal for Auckland that will meet the new super city's needs for the future.

Tourism Industry Association chief executive Tim Cossar said today the industry's preference was for a $97 million cruise ship facility and public open space on Queens Wharf.

He said the industry was not in favour of a short-term option or temporary-fix facility that won't meet the long term demands of the lucrative cruise market.

"The cruise market is being driven by high spending baby boomers and is growing faster than any other part of the New Zealand tourism industry.

"Seasonally, it is worth more than $3 million a day in foreign exchange earnings, however Auckland -- and other New Zealand ports -- are already struggling to cope with the burgeoning demand," Mr Cossar said.

Cruise New Zealand chairman Craig Harris said about 60,000 international cruise ship visitors had come to New Zealand so far this 2009/10 season.

Those numbers were expected to increase to nearly 105,000 by the end of the season from a total of 26 ships making 81 voyages and 421 port calls.

"Next season we forecast New Zealand will welcome a record 133,000 passengers from 31 ships, 88 voyages and 449 port calls. These are discerning and high-spending visitors who are making a significant contribution to New Zealand's economy," Mr Harris said.

Tourism Auckland chief executive Graeme Osborne said with a quality cruise ship facility integrated with Auckland's transport network, the city could establish itself as a cruising "hub" in the South Pacific, enabling it to compete successfully with Sydney.

Mr Cossar said the tourism industry believed there was an opportunity for central and local government, port companies and the private sector to work together to look at ways of funding better port facilities for cruise ships in Auckland, and other key ports where facilities were in urgent need of upgrading in order to reflect New Zealand as the quality visitor destination it was.

Japanese whalers have detained the skipper of the stricken Ady Gil on board their vessel today, anti-whaling boat Sea Shepherd captain Paul Watson says.

Pete Bethune boarded the Shonan Maru 2 about 6.30am (11.30am NZ time) from a jet ski in order to make a citizen's arrest of the vessel's captain for allegedly ramming and sinking his ship and the "attempted murder" of the crew on board during an incident on January 6.

The high-tech speedboat Ady Gil, which had been part of efforts to harass Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean, sank following a collision with the Shonan Maru.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society later filed with New Zealand police a complaint of attempted murder against the captain of a Japanese whaling vessel.

As well as the citizen's arrest, Mr Bethune was to present a $3 million bill to the whalers for the cost of replacing the Ady Gil.

The whalers had acknowledged Mr Bethune was on board, Mr Watson told NZPA.

"Pete presented the skipper with a demand that he turn himself in to a New Zealand or Australian port in order to answer to charges of destroying the Ady Gil and the attempted murder of six Sea Shepherd (Society) crew members.

"Of course we know they're not going to do that, but we have to press the case. They destroyed our ship without any repercussions."

A large pod of pilot whales has been euthanised after running aground on Stewart Island.

The 28 whales were discovered yesterday morning and due to the secluded beach they were on and the high seas they had to be killed.

DOC spokesman Brent Beavan says they cannot get heavy machinery into the remote area so they'll be left to decompose.

"There is only a small number of people who will pass. We might just let them know at the start of the track. In a couple of days they'll be pretty high and pretty rotting so I don't think many people would go near them."

Mr Beavan says pilot whales bones are not good for carving so they plan to leave them to decompose as well

Chinese New Year Festival & Market Day 2010 When & Where Sat 13 Feb, 9.30am – 4.00pm ASB Showgrounds, Epsom Ticket Information Free Details Come celebrate the Year of the Tiger 2010!

Over 100,000 Chinese people now live in Auckland and play a significant role in shaping the cultural, economic and creative life of the city. Auckland Chinese Community Centre Inc has been holding the Chinese New Year Festival and Market Day at ASB Showgrounds for more than 20 years, attracting over 20,000 people every year. The festival will be held on 13th February this year.
According to the Chinese Zodiac, the Year of 2010 is the Year of the Metal Tiger, which begins on 14th February 2010 and ends on 2nd February 2011. The Tiger is the third sign in the cycle of Chinese Zodiac and is a sign of courage. Some celebrities born in the Year of the Tiger include Demi Moore, Hilary Swank, Jodie Foster, Marilyn Monroe, Penélope Cruz, Queen Elizabeth II and Tom Cruise.
“There will be indoor and outdoor activities at the Showgrounds, ranging from cultural performances to food stalls. There will be bouncing castle for the little ones and a special prize draw with a chance to win two returns trips to Hong Kong,” says Kai Luey, the Event Organiser.
“Another very popular attraction is the sampling of exotic and traditional Chinese delicacies and food from Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and other Asian countries from over 50 outdoor hot food stalls,” adds Luey.
“This is a very popular event for both young and the not so young to enjoy. It is a firmly established day in Auckland’s cultural event calendar. We have had the privilege of the Governor General or the Prime Minister officially opening the event every year.”
This community event is open to all and admission is free for what promises to be a day of colour and spectacle. You can experience the excitement and the pageantry, sights, sounds and smells of a Chinese New Year celebration right in the heart of Auckland.

Movies in Parks is back again in 2010 with an impressive 12 midweek kiwi films across four Auckland parks - Tahaki Reserve, Glover Park, Grey Lynn Park and Owairaka Park. Collapsing Cities will launch the series with their dynamic sound of artfully droll pop, followed by reggae up shots Sonz of Zion and soncially rich The Broken Heartbreakers.

'The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls', 'Goodbye Pork Pie' and 'Rain of the Children' are just some of the great kiwi films on offer.

Bring your blanket, some nibbles and enjoy the cinema

Check out the details here:  http://musicinparks.co.nz/events/movies.asp

A Wellington cafe has gained a mention from the New York Times for its use of social networking to engage with customers.

Mojo Old Bank, on Lambton Quay, was hat-tipped by New York Times blog The Frugal Traveller for its use of Foursquare, a web-based cellphone application where users "check-in" to places like eateries, hotels, parks and officers.

The user with the most check-ins to a given place was awarded the title of "mayor".

Mojo Old Bank was among dozens of businesses offering freebies and discounts to Foursquare users, the blog said.

The cafe gave a free coffee to Foursquare users for every fifth check-in.

Mojo Old Bank owner Matt Troughton said he was "chuffed" with the New York Times mention, which he learnt about through Twitter.

His cafe was the first business in New Zealand to use Foursquare, and he believed it was the only place offering freebies.

Although 57 Foursquare users had checked into Mojo Old Bank, Mr Troughton said he'd only given away about four coffees, with users reluctant to ask for a free coffee.

Other sites on Foursquare included the Beehive, Wellington City Library, Auckland Zoo and numerous other restaurants and stores.

A 24-year-old tourist has a shattered leg after being hit by falling rocks at Franz Josef Glacier.

Police say the Canadian woman and her partner read warning signs at the glacier terminal but jumped the barriers anyway and were hit by a rock slide on Monday morning.

They climbed down to where the river came out of the glacier terminal and were caught in a rock slide.

Constable Bill Parker says her male companion, a New Zealander, escaped with scratching and bruising to the chest.

Parker says a couple of inches closer and the rocks would have hit his skull and the outcome could have been very different.

The rock slides were a regular occurrence on the glacier and this served as another warning.

"I don't think it was a slide that would have buried them, but if the man had been a couple of inches back the rock would have smacked him in the skull and killed him. So it's just down to luck at the end of the day."

The man walked out and the woman was flown to Franz Josef before being transferred to St John's ambulance and transported to Grey Base hospital.

In January 2009 two Melbourne brothers were killed after ignoring warning signs on Fox Glacier to pose for pictures.

Ashish and Akshay Miranda were crushed by an icefall having stepped over a safety rope and waded through a stream to reach the glacier terminal.

In December the Department of Conservation told a coroner's enquiry its staff were powerless when tourists chose to endanger themselves.

Having a puff on a cigarette at the beach may become a thing of the past under a proposal to ban smoking in many outdoor areas.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service will urge tougher measures in a submission to the Maori affairs select committee's inquiry into the tobacco industry and the effects of tobacco use on Maori.

Public health campaigners say they want to make it easier for the Government to adopt radical measures to make New Zealand smokefree within 10 years by focussing the debate on tobacco.

The Auckland service wants the law banning indoor smoking at workplaces extended to playgrounds, outdoor eating areas, beaches, the area outside buildings, cars when a child under 16 is present, public transport stops and pedestrian malls, The New Zealand Herald reported today.

From January 1 Auckland University became a smoke-free campus, including areas once designated as smoking areas which it said would allow staff and students to work and study in a healthier, cleaner environment.

The latest proposals would reduce smoking opportunities for workers and bar patrons, forced outside or onto the street by the smokefree environments law.

A tax increase on tobacco may be considered in this year's budget, said Prime Minister John Key.

Already many local authorities have banned smoking in areas used by children, such as playgrounds, sports fields and beaches.

The 50,000th passenger has been processed through the Smartgate facility at Auckland Airport just two months after it was launched, Customs Minister Maurice Williamson said today.

Smartgate uses face recognition technology and information stored in a microchip inside electronic passports to check identities and speeds up the customs process.

"Right now about 32 percent of New Zealanders coming into Auckland airport who are eligible to use Smartgate are doing so," Mr Williamson said.

"The technology has streamlined the passenger clearance process and we have improved our border processing through the application of an internationally-proven, cutting-edge technology solution."

Mr Williamson said the Auckland Airport experience matched that in Australia where the system had been introduced.

"New Zealanders using the Smartgate system have seen their travelling experience greatly enhanced, particularly those travelling trans-Tasman," he said.

"They appreciate the quick and efficient process that means they don't have to queue."

The system is operating at most international airports in Australia for arriving passengers with New Zealand and Australian electronic passport holders.

It will be rolled out at Wellington and Christchurch airports this year.

Auckland health authorities are again warning people to watch out for highly poisonous sea slugs on beaches after a "near miss" involving a four-year-girl.

Sea slugs around Hauraki Gulf beaches had been found to carry tetrodotoxin (TTX), a potent poison found in puffer fish.

Even a small dose could be fatal, Auckland Regional Public Health Service medical officer of health Simon Baker said.

Last year 15 dogs fell ill after eating the slugs and five of those died.

Lower than normal tides on North Shore beaches had left slugs higher up the beach than usual, Mr Baker said.

A concerned father had told the health service his daughter came into contact with a slug yesterday evening.

"This is the nearest miss we have had. Clearly, sea slugs are still just off our beaches, and still pose a threat," Mr Baker said

He warned people to supervise children and pets, not eat anything washed up on the beach, report any slug sightings but not touch them.

"It's second nature to most people to ensure children and animals are carefully watched when swimming and playing to avoid hazards and accidents.

"However, we want people to be a little more cautious about what they handle on Hauraki Gulf beaches, particularly at Narrow Neck and Cheltenham on the North Shore," Dr Baker said.

Early symptoms of TTX poisoning include numbness and tingling around the mouth, and nausea, which may progress to paralysis, incoordination and slurred speech.

Anyone falling ill after contact with a slug should seek medical attention.

Air New Zealand has a treat for all travels on long haul flights - check out the video
http://www.futuretakingflight.com/#/home/video

Students and staff at Auckland University can no longer slip outside for a quick puff.

The university has become a smoke-free campus, inside and outside, and smoking has been banned, even in areas once designated as smoking areas.

The university said of the 5000 people a year who died from smoking related illnesses, 400 died through passive smoking.

"The university decided its old policy was proving ineffective in combating the very real risks to non smokers of passive smoking," it said in a smoke-free policy document.

It said the new policy would eliminate the effects of passive smoking and lead to "a healthier and cleaner environment for our staff and students to thrive, and take pride in".

The university said it recognised smoking was an addiction but was not telling students and staff to stop smoking through its smoke-free policy, although if they wanted to they could talk to the University Health Services or call Quitline

Thousands of New Zealanders are backing a bid to get wilderness survival TV show, Man Vs Wild, over to the South Island.

The Facebook page, 10,000 People for Man Vs Wild Fiordland 2010, was created in October and now boasts almost 7,500 members.

Fans are calling for the show's adventurous frontman, Bear Grylls, to get himself stranded in Fiordland, the rugged world heritage area and home of Milford Sound, at the base of the South Island.

The popular Discovery Channel program sees Grylls get dropped in isolated locations around the world.

The Brit has eaten snakes in the Australian outback, drunk water out of a camel carcass and wrapped a T-shirt soaked with his own urine around his head to keep cool in the Sahara Desert.

The group's creator, and a keen tramper, Matt Robinson, told the Dominion Post Grylls' attitude appealed to the New Zealand sense of adventure.

"It's all good fun," he said.

Destination Fiordland spokeswoman, Toni Ellis, said there would be plenty of "bush tucker" to snack on in the region.

"There are a few plants he can munch on and there are plenty of berries around.

"Insects like huhu grubs, roots of bracken, deer or, if he's near the sea, he can gather paua (abalone) or fish."

While there are no immediate plans for Grylls to head to the Land of the Long White Cloud, a Discovery Channel spokeswoman told the Dominion Post not to rule it out.

"We are considering your part of the world for upcoming seasons and Bear would certainly be interested in New Zealand," she said.

A teenage girl has told how she bashed an attacking shark over the head with her body board until it let her go. 
Lydia Ward, 14, was in waist-deep water with her brother on Monday at Oreti Beach, on New Zealand's South Island, when the sea creature grabbed her hip.

She said she did not notice the shark until the attack was under way.

"I saw my brother's face and turned to the side and saw this large gray thing in the water, so I just hit it on the head with a boogie board," Ward told National Radio.

Explaining how she had read about a surfer who fought off a shark attack with her board, Lydia said: "That's what she did, and that's what you're meant to do."

The siblings fled from the water after the attack.

Lydia added: "I showed dad and he didn't really believe me. But then I showed him my wetsuit, with all the blood coming out, and he believed me."

The girl's mother Fiona Ward said the shark's bite had ripped Lydia's wetsuit and penetrated her skin, but the teen did not need stitches.

Conservation Department marine scientist Clinton Duffy said the shark was probably a broad-nosed seven gill shark.

The species grows to up to 10ft-long and has attacked swimmers at the Oreti Beach in the past.

The last time such a shark preyed on a human at Oreti Beach was in 1999, and the young girl victim required 60 stitches, the scientist said.

Lydia, a former competitive swimmer and regular beach swimmer, said she would be sticking to rivers and lakes in the future.

A cash-strapped 19-year-old is offering her virginity "by tender to the highest bidder" in order to help pay her university fees.

Under the heading "Relationship For Sale", "Unigirl" is offering up her innocence on the Hamilton-based I Need website at ineed.co.nz, the Waikato Times reported.

Unigirl said she was attractive, from the upper North Island, and desperate for money to pay ongoing university fees.

"I have never had a sexual relationship and am still a virgin.

"I am offering my virginity by tender to the highest bidder as long as all personal safety aspects are observed. This is my decision made with full awareness of the circumstances and possible consequences."

She said she was fit, healthy, with a trim physique and had "no medical conditions of any nature".

Website proprietor Ross McKenzie said the website's policy was that as long as an ad was legal and did not offend the general standards of society "it was okay".

A man has survived a 45-metre leap from the Auckland Harbour Bridge but is seriously ill in hospital.

The man drove to the top of the bridge about 3pm yesterday, ran across two lanes and leapt over the side without hesitating, said police.

He was seen by a passenger on a passing ferry who alerted the captain. The ferry stopped and retrieved the badly hurt man from the water.

Inspector Dave Walker, from the police motorways unit, said people who jumped from the bridge seldom survived the fall and the man was lucky to be alive although his condition was "not flash".

He said as the man jumped the westbound ferry was passing under the bridge.

"One of the passengers witnessed him come down and told the ship captain. The deckhand of that ferry pulled him on board.

"Not many people survive that. It depends on whether you have flat water or calm water but it also depends on how you fall," Mr Walker said.

He said a fall from that height was like jumping onto concrete.

One or two people killed themselves by jumping from the bridge each year but just before Christmas a woman was rescued by a motorway policeman as she climbed over the rails.

"He grabbed her around the neck and ripped her back again.

"He saved her from going but clearly our guys can't get outside the safety of those barriers," said Mr Walker.

Other potential jumpers had been talked down, he said.

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BIO FUEL IS VIABLE

Oil company Gull says biofuel blends are commercially viable, after a record December capped its best year yet for biofuel sales in New Zealand.

Forty percent of all Gull petrol now had biofuel content and blended fuel sales, by volume, increased 33 percent for December and 23 percent for the 2009 calendar year, said general manager Dave Bodger.

Gull, which started selling biofuel blends in 2007, sold an average of 2 percent biofuel of total fuel sales by energy content, he said.

"Despite the critics, the success of Gull's biofuels proves that biofuel can be commercially produced and sold in New Zealand," Mr Bodger said.

The larger oil companies, Shell, BP and Caltex, do not sell biofuel blends in New Zealand.

A few Mobil stations around Wellington sell biofuel blends. A spokeswoman said the company did not comment on sales but it appeared the blends were well accepted by customers.

New tramping track named after Hillary
Two years to the day after legendary New Zealander Ed Hillary died, a new trail is being opened in his name in west Auckland.

Sir Edmund died on January 11, 2008, and the 70km Hillary Trail which connected a network of existing park tracks and backpacker campgrounds is to be officially opened this afternoon.

The trail winds it was through the Waitakere Ranges, past the Arataki Visitor Centre, Huia, Whatipu, Karekare, Piha, Anawhata, and either north to Muriwai through the Department of Conservation's Te Henga Walkway, or through Cascade Kauri Park to Swanson.

Auckland Regional Council said the trail epitomised the sense of adventure and personal achievement Sir Ed championed and was renowned for and was not a walk in the park.

It was a chance for well-prepared trampers to experience the diverse, and often challenging west coast.

Sir Ed's son, Peter Hillary, said Auckland's wild west coast was one of the jewels of the region -- "breathtaking, invigorating and one of the country's most picturesque coastlines".

"As a family we were raised on weekend adventures out here and we are delighted that this trail will bear our father's name."

The name was suggested by Waitakere City Mayor Bob Harvey who was out on the trail today and out of reach.

"Sir Ed's legacy will live on in this magnificent trail. A great icon deserves a great walk," he said when the name was announced.

"This is one to match the world renowned Heaphy and Milford tracks of the South Island."

He said west coast was Sir Edmund's second home and Anawhata was his favourite beach. It was a place he called the most beautiful on the planet, Mr Harvey said.

Air New Zealand is going pink: sprucing up its look with new uniforms, which will come into use in 2011. The suits for long haul crew will also be more tailored, in an effort to project the image of a premium carrier. General manager of international flights Ed Sims says there will be other options for employees who do not want to wear pink. He expects staff will have strong views, but says the company wants to make a bold statement.

Variations on the pink theme will also be used in aircraft interiors. Ground staff will don uniforms with a tinge of green, and managers will wear blue.

New Zealand fashion designer Trelise Cooper has been hired to work on the uniforms.

Mr Sims believes pink is a beautiful expression of the colours of a New Zealand sunset.

I will be interested to see how many staff wear the pink uniform!  So if you are flying in via Air New Zealand be ready to see pink flight attendants! ewwww

Air New Zealand's new uniforms are already under fire, with one flight attendant saying the candyfloss pink colour scheme makes them look like "drag queens". The national carrier revealed the new uniforms, being introduced next year at the same time as a new aircraft fleet, which have been designed by Trelise Cooper, the Dominion Post reported.

Airline spokesman Ed Sims described it as "contemporary" but a flight attendant said it was more like the look used on the airline's annual flight to the Sydney Mardi Gras.

"The flight attendants look like drag queens off the Air New Zealand 'pink' flight," the attendant said.

"I haven't worn that colour since I was five."

The uniform would suit a range of body shapes and work requirements but would show up spilt food and drinks,

Air New Zealand has been named airline of the year by Air Transport World Magazine.

The monthly airline industry magazine says the national carrier is being honoured for its "superb commitment to safety and operational excellence." It says Air New Zealand has groundbreaking customer service that combines high-tech, passenger-friendly IT systems with "high-touch" and caring staff.



The magazine's editors have praised the airline for its financial performance during one of the most turbulent periods in aviation history and for addressing environmental challenges facing the industry, including conducting the world's first sustainable biofuel flight.