Maori heritage helps China Southern exec

Blair Haeata. Photo / Nick Reed

Blair Haeata says his Maori heritage has helped him fit into marketing roles at a number of Chinese businesses, including his latest job at China Southern Airlines.

"I love Chinese culture because it's very whanau- oriented. Family orientation is how I grew up," said Haeata, marketing and commercial manager for the Guangzhou-based carrier in New Zealand.

Haeata grew up in Masterton and was raised by his grandparents before moving to Auckland. There he lived with other relatives before becoming a Mormon missionary in Taiwan, where he learned Mandarin. It was life changing.

"That's when I first developed a passion for Chinese people," said Haeata, aged 35.

After marketing jobs here for Yellow Pages and the Institute of Chartered Accountants, he lived in Shanghai working for Posterscope China, an outdoor advertiser with clients such as Coke, Adidas, Diageo, Fonterra and Nike.

He returned home with his family for the birth of a second child and learned of the China Southern role which he took up last year.

The airline now faces an enormous challenge as it moves to year-round double daily services to Guangzhou in August. While China Southern has been the only Chinese mainland carrier to fly here on regular scheduled services for the past four years, two other government-owned giants are on their way later this year. China Eastern Airlines plans to start four times a week Auckland-Shanghai services and Beijing flag carrier Air China has plans to link Auckland and the Chinese capital in a deal with Air New Zealand.

The New Zealand airline is also stepping up services to Shanghai by using its Boeing 787-9 aircraft later this year.

I love Chinese culture because it's very whanau- oriented.

Blair Haeata, marketing and commercial manager China Southern Airlines

Haeata said the fact his airline was established here would give it an advantage.

"We've been here for four years, we've already got established relationships with travel agents, Auckland airport and Christchurch airport. We want to make them stronger."

About 25 per cent of China Southern passengers are from New Zealand and to help meet the aim of lifting this to 50 per cent it will from August introduce a new food and drinks service overseen by celebrity chef Al Brown.

The airline is also hoping to establish partnerships with a national sports team (which Haeata says he can't detail yet) and business groups.

Mike Ma, China Southern Airlines' general manager in New Zealand, said the added competition may bring pressure but the company wanted to avoid a full-scale fare war. "Price is not the only factor."