Pakeha Boy,
Only refreshing peoples memories of the facts. I feel like a stuck record sometimes. You may well be better informed than I.
Twas a sad time on both sides of the ditch, which should never have happened.
There has been plenty of outside political interference in the airline scene in NZ.
Going further back in history to when Air NZ was floated, British Airways wanted a piece of Air NZ. They were natural partners as neither competed head on, and their routes were complimentary. If I remember correctly Air NZ management wanted the BA partnership. The Oz government along with Qantas pressurred the New Zealand govt "in the spirit of ANZAC brotherhood" into selling to Qantas instead of BA. Our spineless government caved in and sold to Qantas. As history proved, it was a bad business decision for Air NZ.