nosegear
You apparently worked there some time ago. I know several pilots who are working there right now, and their feedback is what I am largely basing my comments on. They certainly do not share your opinions. My own involvement with Air Nelson goes back to the days of Mot Air, when Inglis had an office in the back of the Motueka Aero Club and an Aztec parked out the front.
I find your comment regarding the NZ IF rule - "if true" - insulting and funny at the same time. Several of us know it is true because we have been told so by Air Nelson managers. It is a fact, so get used to it. It may not be trotted out to every applicant, but it is certainly used quite frequently. As far as there being other expat types in Air Nelson, I am sure that there are... however, I am also sure that they are there because of the standard maxim of NZ aviation... it isn't what you know, it's who you know. The old boys network and so on... open your eyes a bit. It is just another piece of evidence of the amateur management at Air Nelson, using methods that are now illegal in Europe.
Yes, it is true to say that I exhibit some passion when discussing NZ aviation. It's because my eyes have been opened. Once I worked overseas, I realised how crap many aspects of NZ aviation are, from the pathetic regulatory environment, to the incestuous employers, to the double standards and cronyism that pervade the industry. It doesn't affect me, as I have chosen a different path, but it does affect the many young guys I know who are trying to get their careers going. They are all disadvantaged by the nonsense desribed above.
But, hey, if you are happy with it all, great. Enjoy your 20 yrs as a 2nd officer at Cathay... but don't try and come home, you will need 50 hours recent NZ IF to get a job with your old employer (depending on your brown-nosing ability).
