Passengers flying in Air New Zealand’s premium cabins can enjoy a new culinary and beverage offering that showcases more local suppliers and native ingredients than previous inflight menus.
‘A Taste of Aotearoa’ builds on Air NZ’s ‘Aotearoa on a Plate’ concept and is now available in Business Premier cabins and select long-haul flights from New Zealand.
It will introduce flyers to local flavours such as the spicy horopito pepper, earthy kawakawa leaves and mānuka honey.
New dishes with native ingredients are a superfood salad with horopito-dusted New Zealand salmon; creamy kawakawa mushrooms on rye toast and grass-fed New Zealand lamb rump with horopito rub.
Working with local suppliers, the menu includes Ahia smoked moki sourced from the people of Ngāti Porou, Ōra King salmon from Marlborough, New Zealand hāpuka, smoked mussels from the Coromandel, cheeses from Oamaru and Hawke’s Bay extra-virgin olive oil.
A Taste of Aotearoa items are identified by an icon and include a mixed tasting plate for a bite-size way to sample the native ingredients.
Air NZ Chief Customer & Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty said the menu is inspired by manaakitanga – the Māori tradition of hospitality.
“We believe it’s our privilege to showcase the best our country has to offer and share that with the world. We want to serve up an authentic taste of New Zealand on board and in our lounges,” she said.
Air New Zealand’s Aotearoa on a Plate menu for Business Premier passengers first launched on long-haul routes in October 2022.
The carrier also recently made a callout for public input about Kiwi snack suggestions to serve on board.
For more info, head to airnewzealand.com.au
