Media Release
23 October 2003
Move On - Air New Zealand Says Brown
New Zealand First has urged Air New Zealand to forget about international mergers for the time being and concentrate on
becoming a sound airline with competitive fares for the traveling public.
Deputy Leader, Peter Brown said that the competitive watchdogs on both sides of the Tasman opposed the Air New
Zealand/Qantas merger so there was little point in the national flag carrier pursuing the matter further.
“Taxpayers have a big stake in Air New Zealand, which has a dual responsibility to give them a return on investment as
well as a competitive fare structure. These two aims are not mutually exclusive.
“The airline is moving back into the black and it should continue to do so if it sticks to the basics like providing
good service at a reasonable cost.
“Big is not necessarily more beautiful. Small can also be highly effective and more easily managed to adapt to the
changing patterns of travel, lifestyle, tourism and freight,” said Mr Brown.
ENDS