The March pilot saw passengers travelling on a return trip between Auckland and Hong Kong able to employ their digital ID throughout their journey. This included adding passport data in the Air NZ app, securely sharing information at online check-in, and using it for biometric scans at checkpoints.

Nominations and submissions are now open for the Australian Defence Industry Awards 2026, with this year’s program set to debut in a bold new format alongside the launch of the Australian Defence Industry Accelerator, in partnership with Commonwealth Bank of Australia.

Exercise Viper Walk was held in late March for RAAF aviators in No. 1 Expeditionary Health Squadron (1EHS) to collaborate with members of the New Zealand Defence Force and the United States Pacific Air Forces to ensure medical readiness in combat environments.

Operating on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 May, the flights will complement the existing services via Burnie on other days, cutting the travel time from 95 to 55 minutes and “significantly improving access for residents, visitors, businesses and freight customers”, the airline said.