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Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
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Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look

by
11th April 2025
  • Air New Zealand has unveiled a bold new uniform collection that features gender-neutral options and bespoke hand painted prints from tā moko artist Te Rangitu Netana.
a woman in a purple dress
two people standing in a field
a group of people in uniform
a woman in a suit and hat
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Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
two people standing in a field
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a group of people in uniform
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a woman in a suit and hat
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a man in a suit
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a man in a suit and hat laughing
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform
Six And Half Years After Announcing a New Uniform, Air New Zealand Finally Unveils The Final Look
a woman in a purple dress
1 two people standing in a field
2 a group of people in uniform
3 a woman in a suit and hat
4 a man in a suit
5 a man in a suit and hat laughing
6 a man in a long trench coat standing in front of a lake
7 a woman in a purple dress
Air New Zealand's new uniform

I first wrote about Air New Zealand’s plans for a new uniform in September 2018. Fast-forward more than six and a half years, and the airline has finally unveiled its new uniforms, designed by Kiwi fashion designer Emilia Wickstead.

This is the first time in 13 years that Air New Zealand has updated its uniform for more than 6,000 of its pilots, cabin crew, gate agents, and other customer-facing staff, which features bespoke hand-painted prints from tā moko artist Te Rangitu Netana.

two people standing in a field
New gender-neutral uniform options are being introduced.

As first suggested back in 2018, Air New Zealand has introduced gender-neutral options into its new uniform design, allowing staffers to mix and match certain uniform items to suit their identity.

In one example, the airline has pictured how crew members can choose to wear traditionally male pinstripe trousers with a gender-neutral blouse that features purapura whetū patterns.

“For us, this is more than just a uniform. It is a celebration of our people, our culture, and our values,” commented Air New Zealand’s chief executive Greg Foran.

“Air New Zealand has never been about standing still or blending in. We have a tradition of being bold, showcasing what makes us unique, and celebrating our team members,” Foran continued.

a group of people in uniform
There are nods to Air New Zealand’s current uniform with the use of bold prints, colors, and pinstripes.

Wickstead was selected as the lead designer for Air New Zealand’s new uniform in 2023 after beating out the competition that included submissions from 40 different Kiwi designers who took part in a design challenge to lead the project.

While Air New Zealand has presented the new uniform to the world, changes could still be made. An extensive uniform wearer trial is set to start in May 2025, and the full rollout isn’t expected to take place until 2026.

Māori tā moko artist Te Rangitu worked with Witckstead to create the bold prints that feature across the uniform collection. Each print is hand-drawn and reflects the landscapes, wildlife, and culture of Aotearoa.

a woman in a suit and hat
Despite the lengthy delay in getting the uniform project off the ground, front-line staffers still aren’t expected to start wearing the new threads until 2026.

The prints also symbolize the seniority of different workers. For example, pilots have a special print of kiwi bird feathers, as it is New Zealand’s most sacred bird, which represents leadership, and another bird feather print of kākā feathers also symbolizes authority.

As well as introducing gender-neutral uniform options, Air New Zealand will also trial a new cultural garment which will be tested by Pacific people.

Mateusz Maszczynski honed his skills as an international flight attendant at the most prominent airline in the Middle East and has been flying ever since... most recently for a well known European airline. Matt is passionate about the aviation industry and has become an expert in passenger experience and human-centric stories. Always keeping an ear close to the ground, Matt's industry insights, analysis and news coverage is frequently relied upon by some of the biggest names in journalism.

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