From the end of June we welcome Andrew McKeen onto the NZALPA Board of Management as the new Industrial Director. 

Andrew is stepping up to the position of Industrial Director for NZALPA, after a suggestion (or a serious push - depending on how you view it) from the former Industrial Director Andrew Ridling. 

After serving for the last five years on the Air New Zealand (Air NZ) Jet Pilot Council, (for three of which he was the Deputy Administrative Head) Andrew is ready to step up and take on the demands of the Industrial Director role. 

During his time on the Council, Andrew has been a member of various subcommittees and been involved in a number of initiatives. One of Andrew’s key achievements as a member of the 2018 collective bargaining team was securing the nine year memorandum of understanding with Air NZ, providing a framework for future negotiations with Air NZ. 

Andrew has been an NZALPA member for roughly 17 years, ever since he obtained his first job as a commercial pilot in general aviation.

He has flown for Air NZ for the past six years, starting on the 737 and then moving to the 777. He is currently transitioning from the 777 to the A320 as a First Officer.

“One of the reasons I wanted to become Industrial Director is to be more involved at an Association level and assist where I can in the various industry negotiations,” said Andrew.

“I have really enjoyed my time as Deputy Admin Head of the Jet Pilot Council, however I’m looking forward to the challenge and getting to know and develop relationships with the other NZALPA Councils."

Andrew will be Industrial Director for the next two years. 

Andrew says he is grateful for the opportunities provided by NZALPA. NZALPA encourages and supports fresh and sometimes younger voices taking up representative roles. This helps NZALPA retain much of the knowledge of the predecessors, as many of them still remain involved after finishing their representative tenures.

“I suspect I will be picking the brains of previous Industrial Directors. There is so much experience within NZALPA and I am looking forward to tapping into that. It will be great to see what the other Councils are doing and to share their learnings throughout the membership.” 

When Andrew is not flying he fills his time being a taxi driver for his children.