Airline Air New Zealand has increased its entry-level wage to $30 (£16.23) per hour as part of its goal to attract 400 new members of staff to join its airport teams in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.
The business also committed to awarding all airport employees with annual pay increases and opportunities to gain more skills and access further pay rises. Over the next 13 months, from the start of this month to 31 March 2024, all airport workers will receive a wage increase of between 9.5% and 26%.
According to Air New Zealand, the decision to raise wages was driven by its plan to continue to ramp up operations to meet growing demand and rebuild its airports team.
Nikki Dines, chief people officer at Air New Zealand, said: “I’m pleased that we’re continuing to welcome more people to our whānau and that we’re in a position to invest further in our people. It’s not just new employees that will benefit from this change. We’re giving our current staff the choice to either keep their current pay structure, with an increased hourly rate and weekend penalty rates or switch over to a new rolled up rate, starting from $30 per hour.
“At Air New Zealand, we work hard to ensure our people are offered the same care as we offer our customers. We’re looking to attract diverse, talented people who will not only help our business grow, but also have a deep desire to help us do what we do best, keep friends and family connected. And we want to help them kick-start their careers and life experience through opportunities to grow their skills and access fantastic travel benefits.”