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GUIDE

How to earn and retain Air New Zealand Airpoints status

Air New Zealand Airpoints status means progress through the tiers of Koru, Air New Zealand's loyalty programme, which runs from Koru Bronze up through Koru Silver, Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black. [1] Koru keeps two separate currencies: Airpoints, which members earn and spend on rewards, and Status Points, which are the measure used to move between tiers. [1] [3]

Facts checked: 18 October 2026

Key takeaways

  • Koru members earn Status Points on flights and by using a Status Points-earning credit card; the flight amount depends on the ticket purchased. [1] [3]
  • Status Points last 12 months from the date they are earned, so the programme looks at any rolling 12-month period rather than a fixed calendar year. [3]
  • Each tier above Bronze has a published reach threshold and a slightly lower retain threshold, and a minimum share of the total must come from qualifying flights. [3]
  • Members in Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black who finish just short can be gifted the missing Status Points through Status Retain, within published caps and once every three membership years. [4] [5]

How Status Points work

Air New Zealand says Status Points are earned on flights and with a Status Points-earning credit card. [1] To earn on flights, a member has to enter their Koru number when booking, and the number of Status Points earned varies with the ticket purchased; Air New Zealand publishes a Status Points calculator for checking a specific flight. [3]

The measurement window is a rolling one. Status Points last 12 months from when they are earned, and once a member has earned enough Status Points within any 12-month period, the account moves up to the next tier immediately. [3] At that point the member receives the new tier's benefits together with an end of tier date, which is the last day of the calendar month 12 months in the future and the date on which the account will next be reviewed. [3] Unused benefits expire when a member upgrades or downgrades. [3] Progress can be tracked in the member portal or in the Air New Zealand app. [3]

One detail matters for anyone earning points from a card: Status Points earned with an Airpoints-earning credit card count towards the total Status Points balance but do not count towards the Status Points that must come from qualifying flights in order to reach or retain a tier. [3]

Reach and retain thresholds

The published table gives four sets of numbers for the tiers above the starting Koru Bronze tier, in tier order. [3]

  • Koru Silver: 450 Status Points to reach, with at least 225 on qualifying flights; 405 to retain, with at least 203 on qualifying flights. [3]
  • Koru Gold: 900 to reach, with at least 450 on qualifying flights; 810 to retain, with at least 405 on qualifying flights. [3]
  • Koru Platinum: 1,500 to reach, with at least 900 on qualifying flights; 1,350 to retain, with at least 810 on qualifying flights. [3]
  • Koru Black: 3,200 to reach, with at least 1,920 on qualifying flights; 3,040 to retain, with at least 1,824 on qualifying flights. [3]

Qualifying flights are defined differently depending on the tier being sought. For Koru Silver and Koru Gold, 50% of the required Status Points must be earned from qualifying flights, which include Air New Zealand operated flights, qualifying partner airline flights, eligible Star Alliance flights and/or Status Points Bonus. [3] For Koru Platinum and Koru Black, the share is 60%, and the qualifying sources are Air New Zealand operated flights, qualifying partner airline flights and/or Status Points Bonus. [3] Eligible Star Alliance flights still contribute to the total Status Points balance at those two tiers, but they do not count towards the 60% qualifying flights requirement. [3]

So partner flying helps a member's progress only when it falls inside those definitions: a qualifying partner airline flight counts at all four tiers, while an eligible Star Alliance flight counts towards the total everywhere but towards the flight minimum only at Silver and Gold. [3] Air New Zealand directs members to separate pages for qualifying partner flights and for Star Alliance contributions for detail on individual airlines. [3]

Shortfalls and pauses

Status Retain. This benefit is open to Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black members and helps them keep their current tier for a further membership year; it cannot be used to move up a tier. [4] Eligibility is assessed once every three membership years, and a member must be below the retain threshold for their tier at the time of assessment, which falls within 14 days of their review date. [4] Air New Zealand then applies only the exact number of Status Points needed to reach the retain threshold, capped at 30 points for Koru Gold, 50 for Koru Platinum and 70 for Koru Black. [4] [5]

The mechanism is applied only on the final day of the membership year and is not applied earlier; if the member earns enough eligible Status Points in the last 14 days to retain naturally, it is not applied at all. [4] Eligible members see the option in the Benefits section of the member portal within those final 14 days, and "Status Retain applied" appears on the activity statement once it is used. [4] [5] Where several mechanisms apply, Status Retain is applied first, then Status Points Rollover, then Banked Year, and they cannot be combined within the same membership year. [4]

Parental Status Hold. Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black members who are welcoming a child through birth or adoption, or taking parental leave, can pause their tier for up to 12 months. [6] The end of tier date moves to the last day of the month 12 months after the application is approved — an approval on 10 August, for example, holds membership until 31 August the following year. [6] Tier benefits stay available during the hold, and earning enough Status Points to upgrade ends the hold automatically and starts a new active year at the higher tier. [6] When the hold ends, the member starts a new tier year and receives their tier benefits for another 12 months. [6]

Exceptions and limits

  • Programme scope. The thresholds, windows and retention mechanisms described here are Air New Zealand Koru rules; they do not apply to other Star Alliance programmes, which set their own qualification periods and thresholds. [3] [4]
  • Tier names. The tiers are Koru Bronze, Koru Silver, Koru Gold, Koru Platinum and Koru Black. [1] [3]
  • Status Retain conditions. It cannot upgrade a member, is limited to once every three membership years, and Air New Zealand may vary, suspend or withdraw it at any time subject to applicable law; members are not entitled to discretionary or manual adjustments beyond the published terms. [4]
  • Parental Status Hold windows. Eligibility depends on timing: a baby born in the last 12 months or due in the next six months, or a child under six adopted or fostered in the last 12 months or expected in the next six months. [6] Applications are made online with at least one supporting document, and Air New Zealand says it responds within 10 business days. [6]
  • Card points and partner flights. Status Points from an Airpoints-earning credit card do not satisfy the qualifying-flight minimum, and eligible Star Alliance flights do not satisfy the 60% requirement at Koru Platinum and Koru Black. [3]

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers Air New Zealand's Koru programme only; other Star Alliance programmes and their own status thresholds and qualification periods are not covered here.

  1. Air New Zealand Koru loyalty programme overview, checked 18 October 2026
  2. Air New Zealand Status Points and Koru tier progression, checked 18 October 2026
  3. Air New Zealand Status Retain terms and conditions, checked 18 October 2026
  4. Air New Zealand Status Retain for Koru members, checked 18 October 2026
  5. Air New Zealand Parental Status Hold for Koru tiers, checked 18 October 2026