Start here: Air New Zealand Koru — join, earn Airpoints and Status Points, spend Airpoints, Shairpoints and tiers

Step 1: What Koru is and who it suits

You will learn: what Koru is, what accepting its terms commits you to, and whether the programme fits the way you travel.

The Koru Programme is a membership programme offered by Air New Zealand to Koru Members; by applying for Koru Membership you agree to these terms and conditions, and membership of the Koru Programme is not interchangeable with membership of any other programme or club [1]. Members earn Airpoints and Status Points to redeem Rewards and enjoy member benefits, which include Rewards redeemed with Airpoints, Tier Status Benefits for members who have earned sufficient Status Points to qualify or requalify for Koru Black, Koru Platinum, Koru Gold or Koru Silver, the ability to join a Shairpoints Account, and other benefits set out in the terms [1]. Note that some of the summary's cross-references do not match the numbering printed: for example, it points to paragraph 28 for varying the terms, while changes to the terms are printed as section 27 [1].

Because Airpoints and Status Points are earned on Qualifying Flights, on Qualifying Purchases and through Direct Earn Financial Products, the programme suits people who fly Air New Zealand and its partner airlines and who make Qualifying Purchases with Air New Zealand and Participating Retailers [1].

Go deeper: Start here: airline miles for how mileage currencies work in general before you commit to one programme.

Step 2: How to join

You will learn: the rules on holding a membership, what happens after you apply, and how to look after your card and details.

You may only hold one Koru Membership at any one time, membership is personal to you and is not transferable, and you must make sure your personal details are correct, including your name and date of birth [1]. Air New Zealand reserves the right to accept or decline an application and will inform you in writing if it declines; if it accepts, it may issue a Koru Card with your name and Koru number on it or advise you by email, and your membership remains current until it is terminated by you or by Air New Zealand [1].

A Koru Card is valid only for the person named on it, remains the property of Air New Zealand, and must be reported promptly if lost or stolen [1]. If you join through the digital fast join process while shopping with a Koru Partner, you must activate your account within 24 hours of your purchase to claim the Airpoints earned [1]. The governing document is the Air New Zealand Koru Terms and Conditions [1].

Go deeper: Air New Zealand Koru programme hub for everything else about the programme, grouped by task.

Step 3: How earning works

You will learn: where Airpoints and Status Points come from, what earns nothing, and how to claim what is missing.

Koru Members earn Airpoints and Status Points on Qualifying Flights, on Qualifying Purchases and through Direct Earn Financial Products, and you must quote your Koru number — and present your Koru Card if asked — when you book a flight, make a purchase or apply for a product [1]. You cannot earn on Rewards you have redeemed using Airpoints, you cannot transfer Airpoints or Status Points to another airline's frequent flyer programme, and if points were credited for travel you also used to gain benefits under another airline's programme, Air New Zealand removes them from your account [1].

For travel you must be the person named on the Ticket and you must have flown; the amount earned varies with whether the flight is an Air New Zealand operated flight or a partner airline flight, the partner's earning rates, your booking class, the product type and the date of travel, and the Koru Look Up Table can be used to estimate it [1]. On Air New Zealand operated flights, booking classes N, X, I and R earn neither currency, class F earns Status Points but no Airpoints, infant tickets earn nothing, and travel booked and paid for with Airpoints or another airline's points earns nothing; points are calculated per sector [1].

Qualifying Purchases are those made with Air New Zealand and Participating Retailers: where a booking or receipt is addressed to a named individual you must be that person, the retailer's terms apply, and not every purchase with a Participating Retailer qualifies [1]. Airpoints from Qualifying Purchases are credited only after the retailer informs Air New Zealand, which may take up to 12 weeks [1]. Points should appear on the "My Balance" page within three months of the Qualifying Flight or Qualifying Purchase being made (or of the Airpoints being earned through a Direct Earn Financial Product), and a claim must be received within 6 months of the flight date, the purchase date, the check-in date where the purchase was for hotel or other accommodation, or the first day of the car rental reservation; claims can cover flights taken no more than 30 days before your date of joining [1].

Go deeper: How to earn miles for the general mechanics of crediting flights and partner transactions.

Step 4: How to spend Airpoints

You will learn: what Airpoints can buy, the timing and fare conditions that apply, and how upgrades and gifting work.

Airpoints are not convertible into Cash in any circumstances and must not be sold, assigned or transferred [1]. Flight Rewards cannot be redeemed more than 12 months in advance, although some non-Flight Rewards may be redeemed further ahead if the Koru Partner providing them permits it [1]. Changing or cancelling a redemption may attract a reasonable change fee and service fee, some Rewards cannot be changed or cancelled at all, and availability of any Reward is not guaranteed [1].

Flight Rewards cover travel on most Air New Zealand operated flights and partner airline flights subject to availability; Air New Zealand sets the redemption rate and may change it, depending on factors including whether the flight is operated by Air New Zealand or a partner, the booking class, the time of travel, load factors and whether the journey is domestic or international [1]. Flight Rewards are not available for travel industry rebated tickets or group tickets, partner airline flights must be requested at least 3 business days before departure, fare rules apply, and any fees must be paid in Cash [1]. Airpoints may pay the taxes and surcharges in a fare only where the journey commences in New Zealand and is purely domestic, with no international sectors [1].

• Discounted Business Award Fares. Koru Black, Koru Platinum, Koru Gold, Koru Silver and Koru Club Members may redeem these in Business Premier Class on Air New Zealand operated flights, subject to strictly limited availability, and limited booking classes [1].
• Upgrades. Airpoints can be used on Air New Zealand operated flights and for Star Alliance Upgrades in limited booking classes; each request covers a single one-way sector, is not guaranteed, and is refunded in Airpoints if not confirmed or if a confirmed upgrade has to be reversed [1].
• Non-Flight and car rental rewards, and gifting. Non-Flight Rewards and Car Rental Rewards are available, with Contact Centre car rental requests made at least one business day before pick-up [1]. You may register a household Giftee, who must share your residential address (a fee is charged for adding a Giftee who is not a Koru Member), with written evidence such as a utilities bill issued within the last 3 months if asked; the whole Reward must be gifted, with no top-ups or transfers to cover a shortfall [1].

Go deeper: How to redeem miles for the steps common to award redemptions, and the award vs cash calculator for weighing a redemption against paying.

Step 5: Tier Status, Shairpoints and keeping your Airpoints

You will learn: how Airpoints expire, how Status Points and Tier Status work, and what a Shairpoints Account changes.

Airpoints remain valid for four years from the date they were accrued and are then removed on the anniversary of the day you joined [1]. Status Points are used to determine qualification for Koru Black, Koru Platinum, Koru Gold or Koru Silver, and a member qualifies by meeting the Tier Status requirements published on Air New Zealand's website; the terms publish no figure, and material changes to the requirements are given two months' advance notice [1]. Tier Status is valid for 12 months from the date it becomes effective, a higher tier reached mid-period is itself valid for 12 months, eligibility is reviewed at the end of every 12-month qualification or requalification period, and Air New Zealand may suspend Tier Status for breach of the terms; the terms state that these Tier Status rules do not apply to members who earn Gifted Koru Silver, Gifted Koru Gold or Gifted Koru Platinum Tier Status [1].

A Shairpoints Account is created by signing into your online Air New Zealand Account; the creator is the Owner, who invites other Koru Members, and the Owner nominates Spenders while the rest are Non-Spenders [1]. The Owner and all members must be New Zealand residents, no more than ten new members may join in any 12-month period from creation, a member may not belong to more than one Shairpoints Account at a time, and you cannot be the Owner of one and a member of another [1]. The Owner and Spenders may use all Airpoints in the account to redeem Rewards without notice to you, the oldest Airpoints are redeemed first, and leaving or closing rules apply to what happens to your Airpoints [1]. The terms state, in the same section, that a Shairpoints Account combines your Airpoints "with the Airpoints of up to ten Koru Members" and also that "The maximum number of members in a Shairpoints Account at any one time is ten members including the Owner"; the two statements do not agree on whether the limit of ten includes the Owner, and both are reported as printed [1].

You may terminate your membership at any time in writing, and if membership is terminated by either side other than by death, unredeemed Airpoints and Status Points are forfeited with no compensation; membership also terminates automatically on death or bankruptcy, and if the programme is discontinued 3 months' written notice is given [1].

Go deeper: the status tool for reading tier requirements, and the mileage expiry calculator for tracking when Airpoints fall away.

Step 6: Your first concrete action

You will learn: the five things to do now, so that nothing you earn is lost.

1. Apply for one Koru Membership with your correct name and date of birth, using the Air New Zealand Koru Terms and Conditions as the reference for what you are agreeing to [1].
2. Quote your Koru number every time you book a Qualifying Flight, make a Qualifying Purchase or apply for a Direct Earn Financial Product [1].
3. Check the "My Balance" page of your online account and claim anything missing within 6 months of the flight or purchase [1].
4. Note that each batch of Airpoints lasts four years and is removed on the anniversary of the day you joined [1].
5. Before spending, check the fare rules of the Reward and remember that Flight Rewards cannot be redeemed more than 12 months in advance [1].

Next: open the Air New Zealand Koru programme hub for the full set of pages on this programme, browse guides for step-by-step walkthroughs, and use Start here to pick your next course.