Once upon a time, a guy called Christopher Luxon, seeking a career uplift after many a long year selling detergents and mayonnaise for Unilever, became CEO of Air New Zealand. Ten years ago, seeing serious sustainability challenges ahead, he decided to set up an international Sustainability Panel. And was crazy enough to invite me to chair it.

Air New Zealand became a bit of a star in the aviation industry, as it seriously got to grips with its climate responsibilities. Mug that I am, I felt proud to be able to call it “the world's least unsustainable airline!” (All airlines remain seriously unsustainable).

In 2023, somewhat improbably, that same Christopher Luxon became Prime Minister of New Zealand – as part of a right-wing coalition including two populist, climate-denying fringe parties. All those serious sustainability challenges he’d faced into at Air New Zealand mysteriously disappeared.

Christopher Luxon's successor as CEO was a guy called Greg Foran, a Kiwi returning home after a long stint in the ruthless world of Walmart. His first task was to steer Air New Zealand through the Covid nightmare, where his lack of knowledge about both aviation and sustainability didn't matter too much. He did well.

Air New Zealand is majority owned by the NZ Government – and any profit it makes goes straight back into government coffers. So Greg Foran's predecessor, Christopher Luxon, is in effect Greg Foran's boss as Prime Minister. The Air New Zealand Board members are just bit part players in this weird relationship.

This was not a happy combo for Air New Zealand: a number-crunching, sustainability-lite CEO, reporting to a right-wing populist Prime Minister (sporting his newly-minted credentials as an outstanding hypocrite), with a Board intent on serving its new political masters, however ignorant they turned out to be.

A couple of weeks ago, to no one's great surprise, Greg Foran decided to axe Air New Zealand’s carefully and realistically crafted 2030 Net Zero climate target - and its relationship with the Science Based Targets initiative – which had endorsed that target. The 2050 target has been retained. Which made Air New Zealand a leader no longer – just one more growth-obsessed, volume-driven airline hoping to blank out the climate crisis already in our midst.

I feel sorry for Air New Zealand. For so many amazing Air New Zealanders – and its brilliant sustainability team in particular. And for all New Zealand citizens watching its much-loved national carrier assiduously trashing its own reputation.

What an insane world we live in!

Sir Jonathon Porritt, former chair of Air New Zealand’s International Sustainability Advisory Panel, is a leading British environmentalist. He is co-founder of Forum for the Future, and has a background working for UK’s Green Party and Friends of the Earth.

Previously in Carbon News:

• Former Air NZ Sustainability Panel chair proposes frequent flyer penalty levy
• Christopher Luxon touts Air New Zealand's climate credentials in maiden speech despite growing carbon footprint.