Koru (formerly Airpoints)

What Is Koru?

Koru is Air New Zealand's free loyalty programme (rebranded from Airpoints in April 2026) — scan your card at New World, Mitre 10, Z, and 40+ other partners to earn Airpoints on everyday spending, then use them toward flights, gift cards, or the Airpoints Store. Every Airpoint is worth exactly NZ$1, which makes the maths simple. The base earn from ground partners is modest (0.75% at New World), but the real value comes when you combine partner earning with a credit card and spend toward flights.

---

When Is Koru Worth It?

Without effort: Scan at New World and Mitre 10, $200/month spend → roughly $18/year in Airpoints
With the 3 moves: Add the Airpoints Mall, always scan at partners, and pool with household → realistically $30–50/year (more if you fly)

Recent changes: The programme rebranded from "Airpoints" to "Koru" on 22 April 2026 — tier names gained the "Koru" prefix (Koru Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum) and a new top tier called Koru Black was added. The currency dropped "Dollars" and is now just called "Airpoints" (1 Airpoint = NZ$1 — conversion unchanged). Earning and spending mechanics stay the same. Kiwibank Airpoints credit cards were discontinued in October 2025. Fly Buys closed in December 2024 — New World now earns Airpoints directly via its Clubcard.

---

How It Works

Where it works: New World (groceries), Mitre 10 (hardware), Z and Caltex (fuel), DoorDash, HelloFresh, Liquorland, plus 30+ travel, retail, and service partners across New Zealand. Over 120 online stores via the Airpoints Mall.

What you earn: 0.75% back at New World (0.75 cents per dollar). Other partners vary — Mitre 10 gives 1 Airpoint per $115 (~0.87%), fuel stations give 1 per 100 litres (negligible). On Air NZ flights, earning varies by route and fare class.

How you get it back: 1 Airpoint = NZ$1 toward Air NZ flights, gift cards, or Airpoints Store items. Flexipay lets you combine Airpoints with cash if you don't have enough.

What it costs: Free. Always has been. Koru Club (lounge access) is a separate paid membership and shouldn't be confused with the Koru loyalty programme itself.

How to sign up: Register on the Air New Zealand website in a few minutes. Your digital Koru card works immediately — scan it into SuperCards via screenshot so it's always on hand at the checkout.

Member perks: Higher tiers unlock lounge access, priority boarding, seat upgrades, and extra baggage. The ladder is now Koru Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Black. Koru Gold (900 Status Points) gets full lounge access. The new Koru Black tier (3,200+ Status Points, with 1,920 from qualifying flights) adds Koru Circle, which extends elite perks to nominated family and friends. These all require regular flying — you won't reach them through shopping alone.

Good to know: For the Airpoints Mall (online shopping), you must click through from the Air NZ website before purchasing — the retailer's site alone won't track your Airpoints. Partner Airpoints typically appear within a few days in-store, but online purchases through the Mall take around 37 days.

---

The 3 Moves That Actually Matter

1. Always scan — even when it feels pointless

New World's 0.75% and Mitre 10's 0.87% don't sound like much, but they add up over a year of regular groceries and household shopping. The key: link your New World Clubcard to Koru once, then just scan at every shop. Every 5 New World Dollars earned auto-converts to 5 Airpoints. Keep your Koru card in SuperCards so you never forget to scan at other partners either.

2. Use the Airpoints Mall before buying online

Before any online purchase, take 10 seconds to check if the retailer is in the Airpoints Mall (120+ stores, 1–3% earn rate). Click through from the Air NZ website, then shop as normal. This turns online spending you'd do anyway into Airpoints. The earn rate often exceeds what you'd get in-store at a partner.

3. Pool Airpoints with your household via Shairpoints

Shairpoints lets up to 10 NZ-based Koru members combine their Airpoints into one account for free. If your household of four each earns a modest amount, pooling gets you to a flight reward significantly faster. Set it up once on the Air NZ website.

---

Get Your Points Out (Best to Worst)

Air NZ flights — 1 Airpoint = $1 off any fare. Clean, simple, and the intended use. Flexipay lets you top up with cash if you're short.

Gift cards — 120+ brands at face value ($1 = $1). Good if you don't have a trip planned. Check the Airpoints Store gift card range before choosing merchandise.

There's a way to stretch your Airpoints further on flights — see Pro Tips below.

Airpoints Store merchandise — Some items are marked up 5–10% above retail prices, and returns get store credit instead of Airpoints back. Always price-check before redeeming.

---

Watch Out For

• Airpoints expire after 4 years from the date earned, reviewed on your membership anniversary. No activity reset — it's a hard deadline. Only Koru Gold/Platinum status or a Platinum-level credit card protects against expiry.
• The most common mistake: forgetting to scan. Most partners can't credit Airpoints retroactively. Keep your digital card handy so it's always one tap away.
• Fuel earning is almost worthless — 1 Airpoint per 100 litres is roughly 30 cents on a $75 fill. Don't choose a petrol station based on Airpoints alone.
• New World excludes gift cards, tobacco, and lottery from Clubcard earning. Check the exclusion list if something seems off.

---

When to Skip Koru

• If you shop at Countdown, not New World: Airpoints has no Countdown/Woolworths earning. If that's your main supermarket, the earn opportunities shrink considerably.
• If you never fly Air NZ: Without flights, ground earning alone produces $15–30/year. A straight cashback card might return more without the 4-year expiry pressure.
• Under $100/month at partners: Your annual return would be under $10 in Airpoints. Not worth tracking.

---

---

Quick Reference

As of May 2026