Antarctica: No Ordinary Place, No Ordinary Assignment

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, Oct. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Air New Zealand has launched a global search for an environmental enthusiast interested in sharing the wonders of the Antarctic frozen continent with the world.

Antarctica: No Ordinary Place, No Ordinary Assignment will take the recipient of this "money can't buy," once-in-a-lifetime experience to Antarctica New Zealand's Christchurch headquarters to team up with National Geographic photographer Jason Edwards before flying south to the frozen continent for two weeks.

Air New Zealand's Chief Executive Officer Christopher Luxon says the successful candidate will not only live at New Zealand's Scott Base research support station in one of the most fragile and special places on earth, they will also help draw worldwide attention to global environmental issues and the scientific research underway in Antarctica to address these.

"The best suited candidate will have a passion for the environment and want to play a role in building awareness of the efforts we all need to make in order to better protect the world we live in.  Strong communication skills are a must, along with a healthy respect for the difficult operating conditions in Antarctica," Mr. Luxon says.

Air New Zealand has deep links to Antarctica and has been a strong supporter of scientific research on the continent, including:

• $100,000 grants to two Antarctic researchers to support their post-doctoral studies
• Travel for scientists and research equipment from Canada and the United Kingdom to New Zealand to join Antarctic research efforts
• Flights for New Zealand based researchers to travel to Canada and the United States to advance international research collaboration
• Partnering with the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute on polar amplification research and its potential consequences

Mr. Luxon says launching Antarctica: No Ordinary Place, No Ordinary Assignment would not have been possible without the support of Antarctica New Zealand, the New Zealand Antarctic Research Institute and National Geographic Channel.

"We have formed a terrific partnership with these three organizations to draw global attention and interest to the fragile environment that is Antarctica, and the role we all have to play in helping protect not just it, but the world we live in."

Mr. Simeon Dawes, senior vice president of advertising sales and partnerships (Asia Pacific & Middle East) at FOX One Stop Media said "It's our privilege to be the global media partner for this initiative. The theme of this contest echoes with the values of the National Geographic Channel, which is to showcase, protect and preserve all that nature has to offer." 

Antarctica New Zealand Chairman Rob Fenwick is challenging more corporates to step up and show the commitment Air New Zealand has to supporting scientific research that creates a better understanding of the continent and the impact of climate change.

"Air New Zealand is a role model for other companies when it comes to playing a leadership position in supporting research around climate change in Antarctica.  Our team hugely appreciates the long standing support of New Zealand's national airline.  It acknowledges that aviation is a significant contributor of carbon emissions, and alongside the airline's daily operational efforts to reduce its environment impact, it is also making substantive contributions to science.  And these efforts are not just confined to Antarctica.  It is doing a tremendous amount to partner with the New Zealand Department of Conservation as well," said Mr. Fenwick.

Mr. Luxon says Air New Zealand expects this once-in-a-lifetime experience in Antarctica to resonate with environmental, scientific, adventure and creative communities across the globe. "We're looking forward to seeing some amazing international interest."

Budding Antarctic explorers can apply for this amazing opportunity at www.airnewzealand.com/voiceforantarctica before Wednesday, November 6^th at 11:00 pm EST.

About FOX One Stop Media (FOSM)
FOSM is 21^st Century FOX's international multi-media business. We develop, produce and distribute 300+ wholly- and majority-owned entertainment, factual, sports, movie and lifestyle channels across Latin America, Europe, Asia and Africa, in 48 languages. These networks and their related mobile, non-linear and high-definition extensions, reach over 1.6 billion cumulative households worldwide.

In Asia, FOSM operates or distributes 30+ channel brands, including the FOX, STAR and National Geographic brands, with over 100 feeds across 14 markets. As the leading pay-TV network in the region, we reach more than 550 million cumulative subscribers across Asia Pacific and the Middle East with offices in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, India, Australia, New Zealand and the UAE. For more information, please visit www.foxinternationalchannels.com.

About National Geographic Channel International (NGCI)
National Geographic Channel International (NGCI) inspires viewers through its smart, innovative programming that questions what we know, how we view the world and what drives us forward. A business enterprise owned by National Geographic Ventures and FOX Entertainment Group, NGCI contributes to the National Geographic Society's commitment to exploration, conservation and education through its six channels: National Geographic Channel, National Geographic Channel HD, Nat Geo Wild, Nat Geo Wild HD, Nat Geo Adventure and Nat Geo Music.

Globally, National Geographic Channel (including NGC U.S., which is a joint venture of NGV and Fox Cable Networks Group) is available in more than 440 million homes globally and in 38 languages.

For more information, please visit www.natgeotv.com.

About Star Alliance:

Air New Zealand is proud to be a member of Star Alliance.  The Star Alliance network was established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance to offer worldwide reach, recognition and seamless service to the international traveller. Its acceptance by the market has been recognised by numerous awards, including the Air Transport World Market Leadership Award and Best Airline Alliance by both Business Traveller Magazine and Skytrax. The member airlines are: Adria Airways, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, Avianca, Brussels Airlines, Copa Airlines, Croatia Airlines, EGYPTAIR, Ethiopian Airlines, EVA Air, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Scandinavian Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways, SWISS, TAM Airlines, TAP Portugal, Turkish Airlines, THAI, United and US Airways. Overall, the Star Alliance network offers more than 21,900 daily flights to 1,328 airports in 195 countries.

For more information about Air New Zealand visit www.airnewzealand.com and for more information about Star Alliance visit www.staralliance.com

SOURCE Air New Zealand