the priviliged position now enjoyed by Emirates would not have been allowed develop by either the ALP or the Liberals. Australia's interests would have been protected. And why the hell did the NZers give them rights?
Maybe you might argue that Australia and NZ's aviation interests are not being protected by letting in Emirates, but then again Qantas is a public company and therefore needs to stand on it's own two feet against international competition.
The interests of Australia and NZ away from Aviation though, are certainly not only protected but supported by having Emirates delivering fresh produce daily to the Middle East. As I said before, go to any supermarket in the UAE, and other than dodgy looking indian beef and lamb, all the red meat is from Australia and New Zealand. Wander over to the Fruit and Vegetables section, and a large proportion of that is from Australia. So many primary producers in Australia and New Zealand are profitting greatly from the regularity and reliability of the Emirates service to and from Australia and New Zealand.
Another point is that the direct flights to Melbourne and Sydney, and then the short hop over to New Zealand, is making the snow fields of New Zealand very attractive to the large number of very well paid expats here wanting to swap some sand for some snow. If you look at the costs of skiing in Europe, it is cheaper as a package to fly to NZ from here. That has to be good for New Zealand as well.
Short term, based on passenger revenue alone, yes, the jump over to NZ and back may not be returning a profit. But if you factor in the freight issue, along with the long term gains, of building up the route for passengers over time, I think Emirates will end up winning.