Accessible: our brand story
For the non-accessible, interactive version click here.
Wellington Airport has always been a place of wild stories
A host to giant eagles and fierce dragons.
A place of hellos and goodbyes.
A home of art, culture, wilderness and legends.
The story we haven't told yet is the one of our whenua, the land
Based on Te Motu Kairangi peninsula on Wellington’s wild South Coast, our airport is strongly connected to the environment. Papatūānuku, Ranginui and Tangaroa—the gods of earth, sky and sea—meet and play here.
In Aotearoa, we look to the deep world of te ao Māori to enrich our understanding of who we are and inspire who we can become. Pūrakau carry the stories of how our land came to be.
This is the story of our earliest beginnings in Aotearoa—a story of transformation, and of flight long before our time.
Ka mua ka muri
We look to the past for guidance into the future
Our story begins upon a sea before the age of time.
On his brother's waka, Maui cast a line out to the depths of the ocean and hauled up a giant fish. This formed our great North Island, Te Ika a Maui. The head of the fish, Te Upoko o Te Ika, is Wellington Harbour.
Maui’s hook lodged deep into the side of his catch. The fish’s mouth clenched shut in pain, closing off the harbour from the sea.
Aeons later, two tupua, Ngake and Whātaitai, were summoned to the harbour. They made a life here, playfully swirling beneath the water’s surface, longing to know what lay beyond.
One day Ngake launched himself into the air. With an almighty crash, the cliffs broke, creating the harbour entrance we see today. Whātaitai attempted to do the same. But upon his exit, he became trapped between the sea and the harbour, thrashing his tail. But the struggle was in vain.
Time passed, Whātiatai grew weaker and began to die… As he took his last breath, a phenomenon of aerial activation took place.
His spirit ascended in the form of a bird, Te Manu Muramura. He passed through Rangitatau, a portal to the universe beyond.
Our place here has been shaped by this ancient journey,
an impression still with us today.
We worked closely with Mana Whenua to develop our brand.
Kura Moeahu (QSO), rangatira of Ngā Ruahine, Te Āti Awa, Taranaki–Tuturu, Ngāti Mutunga, Ngāti Tama, Ngāti Toa, shared the pūrakau with us. He explained how it formed our own identity as Wellington’s airport.
Manukorihi Winiata of Ngāti Raukawa, Te Āti Awa, Ngāti Awa me Ngāti Tūwharetoa shaped the story into a tohu, and our new brand began to take flight.
Our airport is Rangitatau, a transformational gateway. Our portal to the universe, and the world’s portal to Aotearoa.
From our bold sustainability journey to our community initiatives, we’re always striving for the next aerial activation, the next phenomenon. Like the tupua, we also dream of what lies beyond.
Looking down on Te Motu Kairangi peninsula, we were in awe to see the shape of Te Manu Muramura in the land, taking off into the sky.