Air NZ sponsorship of All Blacks up in the air as five-year deal draws to a close

Air NZ’s five-year sponsorship deal with the All Blacks is coming to an end and discussions are underway about what the future holds for the long-time partners. Air New Zealand’s relationship with New Zealand Rugby (NZR) dates back to at least the mid-1990s when the national carrier had naming rights to the National Provincial Championship. Over the years the All Blacks have featured heavily in Air NZ’s marketing, from All Black-themed safety videos to aircraft being painted in distinctive “all black” livery. There’s even close ties at a top management level, with Air New NZ chairwoman Dame Therese Walsh being a former chief financial officer at NZR. But with coronavirus wiping out much of Air New Zealand’s revenue, the airline is having to cut costs across the business, and that includes its marketing budget. An Air New Zealand spokeswoman said its five-year sponsorship contract with NZR was due to finish at the end of the year, and discussions between the two organisations were currently underway. The All Blacks have many tiers of sponsors. Adidas is the principal partner and AIG is its major global partner. It has five global partners, one of which is Air New Zealand. The others are beer brand Steinlager, watch brand Tudor, jeans brand Replay and supplements business Healthspan. It also has regional partners, competition partners, women's rugby partners, "other competition" partners and supporters.<br/>