Josh Emett's dishes begin rolling out onboard from the 25th of October 2026 on select long-haul flights out of Auckland and select flights from North American ports.
Showcasing New Zealand ingredients and flavours, it brought a taste of New Zealand to customers travelling to New Zealand and celebrated the local food culture for those heading overseas.
From wild Fiordland venison and South Island salmon to Bay of Plenty kiwifruit and Martinborough Pinot Noir, the menu celebrates ingredients and flavours from across the country.
Emett joined Air New Zealand as Premium Culinary Ambassador in May and said his first menu showcased the ingredients that make New Zealand food special.
"New Zealand is home to some of the world's best produce, and I wanted to create dishes that let those ingredients shine," said Josh Emett.
"The menu is a tiki tour around New Zealand. There's salmon, wild venison, kiwifruit, and Pinot Noir alongside lesser-known flavours that I love cooking with like kawakawa, horopito and karengo.”
For me, it's about giving Kiwi customers something that feels connected to our home and visiting customers their first introduction to what New Zealand has to offer.
Fiordland wild venison features on the menu, served with golden kūmara chutney, kawakawa-spiced beetroot and toasted pine nuts. The venison comes from WithWild, a New Zealand producer that works with wild deer in Te Waipounamu.
Auckland long-haul outbound
Lunch
- Appetiser: Prawn and miso salad, chilli cucumber, spring onion, soybeans, black sesame
- Main: Alpine salmon, saffron and chilli creamed sweetcorn, green beans, pickled seaweed
- Dessert: Chocolate and hazelnut mousse, horopito, preserved blackberries, candied hazelnut
Dinner
- Appetiser: Wild Fiordland venison with roasted beetroot, pear and golden kūmara chutney, toasted pine nuts
- Main: Martinborough Pinot-braised chicken, creamed spinach and leeks, parsley butter
- Dessert: Pacific vanilla mousse, kiwifruit compote, crushed Anzac biscuit, meringue, basil
Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Vancouver inbound
Dinner
- Appetiser: Smoked duck with pickled shiitake, spring onion, candied ginger and soy vinaigrette
- Main: New Zealand lamb rump, smoked aubergine, spring peas, harissa, labneh and mint
- Breakfast: Banana pancakes, poached pear, chia seed compote and maple yoghurt
Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Digital Officer Jeremy O'Brien said the partnership with Emett gives customers another reason to choose Air New Zealand.
"North America is such an important market for us. Getting people to choose New Zealand is one thing; however, giving them a reason to choose Air New Zealand, and in particular to travel with us in our premium cabins, is another,” said O'Brien.
"Working with Josh gives us the opportunity to create something special that feels unmistakably from New Zealand and further strengthens the quality and attention to detail our customers expect.”
He added that it also benefits the country, as Air New Zealand serves millions of meals onboard each year, so showcasing New Zealand growers, producers and suppliers was a wonderful opportunity to get Kiwi products out there.
More local news here
