Tim Robinson, for the NZALPA 75th Anniversary organising team

As most of our membership is aware, 2020 marked the 75th anniversary of the New Zealand Air Line Pilots’ Association (IUOW).

Along came COVID-19 and it was decided, like most other significant events in 2020, that a postponement and rescheduling of functions to commemorate this significant milestone was both required and appropriate in the circumstances.

Planning has now resumed to belatedly commemorate our anniversary by holding a dinner function on Wednesday 23 June 2021, at the Auckland War Memorial museum. This function will form part of our Annual Conference 2021, which will enable us to keep costs down but also ensure we have good participation in the anniversary dinner function. We are hoping around 300 NZALPA member pilots and air traffic controllers and their partners will attend. We will be inviting key Government leaders – including the Prime Minister, Minister of Transport and Leader of the Opposition – representatives from the international Pilot and Air Traffic Control organisations, as well as New Zealand aviation industry stakeholders and employers who have forged important, long term relationships with our organisation, over our history.

Founded in 1945, NZALPA is an internationally affiliated professional association and trade union representing 2600 New Zealand pilots and air traffic controllers. We were a founding member of the International Federation of Air Line Pilots’ Associations (IFALPA) in 1948 and the Global Air Traffic Controllers Alliance (GATCA) in 2018 and we proudly remain actively involved with IFALPA, GATCA and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA).

We are very cognisant that 2020 has been a difficult year for our members and their families. We have seen redundancies and furlough for too many of our members and the industry is still in survival mode and as we continue to work hard to influence our borders opening, travel bubbles to be established and international trainee students to be allowed into New Zealand, these matters remain our primary focus. However, we hope that by June next year we will be able to reflect back on our 75 years of history and enjoy a commemoration of our achievements and the individuals who have made significant contributions to our organisation and the New Zealand aviation industry.

Details of the dinner function will be available in the New Year and members will be notified when and how to obtain tickets to attend. We will also advise options for travel and accommodation for the event. In the meantime, if you are interested in attending our 75th dinner function please save the date for the evening of Wednesday 23 June 2021.