Air New Zealand highlights M?ori culture and values in new safety video

The story follows Tiaki, a young man who boards a waka rererangi (flying canoe) and sets off on an adventure across Aotearoa. With the help of Air New Zealand and Julie (a character that embodies the rest of New Zealand), he visits four M?ori guardians including Papat??nuku (the land), Tangaroa (sea), T?ne Mahuta (forest) and Ranginui (sky). Along the way, he seeks advice from these guardians on how better to look after them.

Air New Zealand General Manager Brand and Marketing Jeremy O’Brien says as people start to return to Aotearoa, this safety video is an invitation to them to act like guardians while they’re here.

“We want tourism to build back better than it was before and part of that is to share with our visitors a sense of kaitiaki – to encourage them to act as guardians of our country. Our Safety Videos are world-renowned and through them, we have an opportunity to educate and inspire ourselves, our customers and Aotearoa on the importance of Tiaki and everything it stands for. It’s about being good hosts, and good visitors.

“Julie’s character in the safety video is there to show that caring for New Zealand isn’t something Tiaki can do alone. It requires all of us to follow the Promise and commit to protecting Aotearoa for future generations to come.

“I’d like to thank Pou Tikanga and storyteller, Joe Harawira, New Zealand M?ori Tourism and the New Zealand M?ori Arts & Crafts Institute for guiding us, right from concept to the building of the waka, and the cultural formalities we followed throughout. The collaborative effort has helped us share this story and the principles of Tiaki authentically.“

The airline worked closely with the New Zealand M?ori Arts and Crafts Institute to design the waka and its carvings. From there it was taken to the various filming locations and flown on wires to create real shadows and textures for post-production.

Cutting-edge LED stage screens, used in The Mandalorian TV series, helped to bring the legends of M?ori culture to life, and it was this motion technology that created a seamless shift from the real world to the fantastical.

Tiaki and the Guardians will be rolled out across Air New Zealand’s international and domestic fleet from Monday, 9 May 2022.

5 May 2022