Shake-up at Air NZ imminent

By CHRIS DANIELS

Reports of a management shake-up at Air New Zealand are circulating and top-level changes are expected to be announced next week.

It could be the start of a busy and interesting week for the airline, with the Commerce Commission's final decision on its application to join Qantas in an alliance expected within days of the staff announcement.

That could come just days before the company's annual shareholders meeting, in Auckland on Wednesday week.

Air NZ's latest annual report shows 197 managers and executives earning more than $100,000, though this list does include some redundancy payments.

One analyst said he would be surprised if Air NZ had "much fat" in its executive ranks, after the big cleanout of staff that occurred after the collapse of Australian subsidiary Ansett in 2001.

Exactly what form the management restructuring will take is unclear, with few outside the company able to point to areas of concern.

Last year's introduction of the "express" low-cost, low-fare model was a success, with its lessons applied to the transtasman routes.

One analyst said there are no suggestions that any senior managers are not doing their jobs properly, so any reshuffle or restructuring could be a more strategic move.

Ralph Norris is widely viewed as a fixture as chief executive for the next few years.