plenty of marketing here in NZ for Norfolk
Things must have changed quite a lot then as I recall very little on all of my trips to NZ. And what I saw was from Travel Agents and not the airline.
I think, MDA, you are a little naive if you believe:
government is unlikely to subsidise the place to the extent that Air NZ can make a profit from the subsidy, more likely just not lose barrow loads.
My understanding of the RFT provided for an operator to declare a nominated revenue return (I forget the actual terminology) and below which there would be a subsidy if that return fell short. You don't honestly believe an operator would nominate a figure that didn't see better than break even, but a profit. Even if "break even", however, is all the Australian governement will subsidise to, I find it incomprehensible that an operator would even consider such an arrangement where it (subsidy) simply minimises the loss - that would be economic madness and a poor utilisation of assets to commit them to a loss making exercise.
Time will tell if this exercise works. I have my doubts.