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ATIA and TAANZ: Working together for members

Travel businesses in Australia and New Zealand are dealing with the same pressures: supplier risk, a global aviation environment that doesn't always work in their favour, and real questions about what the agency model will look like in five years.

ATIA and TAANZ met in Sydney late last week to work through those problems together.
The two peak bodies share a large joint membership and have coordinated closely for four decades. The core principle hasn't changed: a challenge that hits one market will almost always reach the other, and the best responses are built across both.

On the table: looking at how we improve ATIA Industry Protection Programme (AIPP) with learnings from TAANZ’s respected and long running bonding program. New Zealand has 30 years of experience running industry bonding and consumer protection schemes. With the AIPP moving to its operational phase, both ATIA and TAANZ  can learn from the other and further explore where shared infrastructure can deliver more for members without duplicating the cost.

TAANZ and ATIA work collaboratively on airline issues facing agents and operators across the Indo-Pacific. Both organisations have office holder positions on the World Travel Agent Association Alliance. TAANZ Board Member and Director of NZ Travel Brokers Andrew Bowman leads the Indo-Pacific brief on global aviation matters relating to IATA, backed directly by ATIA.

The focus coming out of the meeting is a concrete programme of joint work with the two peak bodies closely aligned and committed to ongoing collaboration.

QUOTES FROM DEAN LONG, CEO, ATIA

"The relationship between ATIA and TAANZ is built on the understanding that an issue that impacts Australia will most likely impact New Zealand, and an issue that impacts New Zealand will most likely impact Australia. That's what's underpinned this relationship for the last 40 years with both organisations identifying where those things overlap and working together to solve those issues for our joint members. And there are a huge number of joint members that operate in both markets. Their expectation of us is that they don't care about where the country border is. They care about how we come together to solve their issues. That is what this partnership is all about. We can complement one another in terms of resources, and where we've got joint members, we work together but we acknowledge the nuances that are also needed.”

"New Zealand has been a leader in industry bonding and consumer protection for 30 years. We want to understand what lessons TAANZ has, what can be shared, and if there are areas for collaboration and synergy that deliver the greatest value for our members at the lowest price point. Today is about mapping those things out and understanding where the collaboration points are as we prep for upcoming challenges. We want to be sharing and collaborating on how we grow overall consumer sentiment and use protection to underpin that. That work benefits members in both markets."
 
QUOTES FROM JULIE WHITE, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TAANZ

“Trans-Tasman alignment isn’t just logical - it’s essential. There are real synergies across our two markets, and we see that every day with members operating seamlessly on both sides of the Tasman. What they’re looking for is simple: strong advocacy and practical outcomes that genuinely support their businesses and their customers.

At TAANZ, we recognise that while New Zealand and Australia each have their own nuances, the core challenges our members face are very similar. By working closely with ATIA, we can tap into those synergies, advocate more effectively, reduce duplication, and make things simpler and more efficient for our members.

At the end of the day, this partnership is about working together to get better outcomes, using our combined voice to protect consumers, support our members, and build confidence in the travel sector on both sides of the Tasman.”

QUOTES FROM ANDREW BOWMAN, BOARD MEMBER AND DIRECTOR NZ TRAVEL BROKERS, TAANZ

"It's all about membership value and how do we make sure that we protect our customers. The consumer is central to everything. Today is about sharing ideas and making sure that what's happening globally is applied appropriately in New Zealand and Australia.”