Greg Foran returned to Hamilton last month on Air New Zealand’s first domestic jet service to the airport in 25 years. He spoke to senior writer Mary Anne Gill as his remarkable leadership journey with the airline comes to an end.
Greg Foran delivers Koru Hour service on the Air New Zealand Christchurch to Hamilton jet launch. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
The two trainee pilots are ecstatic as they get their photos taken with outgoing Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran.
“I want to be like you one day,” says the male student in a reverential tone.
“I’m not a pilot,” says Foran.
“No in business, just like you,” the student says before disappearing into the crowd celebrating the arrival of Air New Zealand’s A320 at Hamilton Airport – the first domestic jet for 25 years.
Foran, 64 – who grew up in Hastings and Hamilton, attending St John’s College and Hillcrest High – has arguably been New Zealand’s most high profile CEO in recent years starting with Air NZ on February 3, 2020, only weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic decimated the airline industry.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran, second right, with from left Christchurch Airport chief executive Justin Watson, Christchurch deputy mayor Pauline Cotter and Hamilton Airport Group general manager Ben Langley. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
Previous Air NZ bosses had faced challenges. When now Prime Minister Chris Luxon took the reins in 2013, he wasn’t afraid to launch new routes and cut others. Before him, Rob Fyfe turned the airline around after the government injected taxpayer funds in 2001.
But none of them dealt with anything as disastrous to the business as Covid.
Foran had to lay off staff, send planes to deserts in the US and Australia, cut back regional services and grapple with a cost-of-living crisis.
So it was no surprise earlier this year that despite the offer of a hefty pay increase, Foran decided his time at Air New Zealand was up. He leaves later this month with chief digital officer Nikhil Ravishankar taking over.
The News asked Foran what he plans to do next.
“I’m not retiring,” he says with a glint in his eyes when we suggest he might be returning to the United States where former Walmart chief executive Doug McMillon described him as “the greatest retailer on the planet.”
Retailing is where Foran started his career, stacking shelves in a Hamilton supermarket.
He was a store manager at 20 and by 48 was leading Woolworths’ supermarket division in Australia until he was passed over for the top job.
Foran joined Walmart, the giant American multinational retailer, initially running its Chinese operations before McMillon put him in charge of all US stores.
Greg Foran delivers Koru Hour service on the Hamilton jet launch.
Greg Foran delivers Koru Hour service on the Hamilton jet launch. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
His Air New Zealand appointment came as a surprise. When he returned to his homeland, he brought with him an American twang – now almost gone except when he says the word route.
It was a baptism of fire. Five years and eight months later he knows a lot more than when he started.
“Hey, you’ve heard a bit from an old broken down shopkeeper, who’s had to learn a bit about aviation,” he says.
Last month he popped over the Tasman to see son Kieran play his final professional rugby league match. The former Kiwi five eighth played 318 first grade matches and scored 60 tries in a 17 year career ending with a 36-28 win for the Gold Coast Titans against West Tigers.
“Only about 0.5 of one percent of all players get to 300 games, so he’s had a great career and I’m really proud of him.”
Foran was part of an Air NZ and Waikato business contingent who made the trip south to Christchurch for a celebratory luncheon and then the return trip by A320 to Hamilton, where Foran helped deliver the Koru Hour service.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran with Regional Affairs manager Jason Dawson. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
“I’m very pleased we’ve been able to pull this one together. It makes sense for us. I think it’s going to be good for tourism,” says Foran.
The association between Hamilton Airport – the tenth busiest by passenger traffic and owned by five Waikato local authorities – and Air NZ goes back 75 years when its predecessor NAC first flew Fokker Friendships commercially.
When the airline withdrew jet services from Hamilton 25 years ago, it did not go down well with businesspeople in particular who found the turbo-props – ATR and Bombardier (now de Havilland) Q300 – a bit too slow for their liking.
They’ve both been good servants for Hamilton, says Foran but the A320 with its 171 economy seats compared to the ATR’s 68, results in lower costs for Air NZ – “provided we can fill it.”
“What you tend to do is you look at your network and say, ‘where does it make the most sense to employ that asset. And that means that naturally airlines will go into routes and they’ll pull out of routes and they’ll adjust routes. That’s the nature of the business.”
The jets will operate five days a week – excluding Tuesday and Saturday – leaving Hamilton in the late afternoon.
Jetstar last month announced it too will run A320 jet services – with 186 seats – daily between the two cities from December with its service leaving Hamilton in the morning.
Foran said the Air NZ services would have a mixture of people on the planes.
“But at the end of the day you’re going to get greater connection between the north and the South Island.”
Welcome home: Greg Foran, centre wearing a Chiefs rugby jersey presented to him by Hamilton Airport’s Ben Langley, left, and chair Barry Harris. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
What about international connections now Hamilton is set up?
Air NZ wants to resume flights between London and New Zealand, but needs its new Boeing 787s. The first two of eight will arrive next year and will be able to carry more cargo.
“Our plan will probably be to take those planes and immediately put them between Auckland and New York, and then that will free up those planes for some other activity.”
That could mean an increase in short-haul services to Asia and Australia — and that’s where Hamilton Airport potentially comes into play.
Also coming to Hamilton in two years is a new electric plane built by Beta Technologies in the United States.
“We will be using Hamilton to fly all around the country. It’s a small plane but it will be the beginnings of everyone in the ecosystems planning to understand what it will take to electrify small gauge aircraft in New Zealand.”
At some point Air NZ will put some seats in it, six to start with as an experiment, he says.
As Greg Foran prepares to step away from the aisles, his journey from Hamilton shelf stacker to global CEO leaves a lasting imprint on Air New Zealand – and a new generation of dreamers inspired to follow in his footsteps.
- Mary Anne Gill travelled from Hamilton to Christchurch and back and had a two-hour city cycle tour courtesy of Air New Zealand and Chill Explore.
Air New Zealand chief executive Greg Foran, left, with Hamilton Airport Group general manager Ben Langley. Photo: Mary Anne Gill
