Championing Kiwi creators: Auckland Airport unveils Gifts of New Zealand Request for Proposals

NEW ZEALAND/AOTEAROA. Auckland Airport has issued a much-anticipated Request for Proposal (RFP) process for its Gifts of New Zealand destination retail offer, including 11 sites in the international terminal’s departures areas across both landside and airside (before and after security).

The international terminal currently serves around 10.5 million travellers annually (click for June traffic update). Contract awards are expected in late 2026.

Auckland Airport is seeking retail partners with proven track records in relevant high-volume, high-engagement, sense of place-driven retail environments.

The opportunity is not simply to curate what travellers already expect to see, but to introduce them to a broader and more contemporary showcase of New Zealand’s creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit

Successful respondents are expected to be awarded six-year licences. These are anticipated to commence on a staged basis from mid to late 2027, providing what Auckland Airport called an opportunity for both scale and performance.

Destination merchandise is one of the airport’s longest established, strongest and most successful categories. Auckland Airport says the RFP is designed to evolve and amplify rather than reinvent that successful formula.

Successful bidders will benefit from a well-understood customer base seeking iconic and authentic New Zealand products, from Mānuka honey and treats to fashion, contemporary design, art and unique cultural gifts.

On the record with Auckland Airport

What can you tell us about the RFP in terms of number of stores, location, size and the offer you will be seeking?

The RFP will bring 11 existing New Zealand-focused gift and standalone speciality retail stores to market within the international terminal building, across both landside and airside locations.

The category is a blend of general gifting stores that house a broad mix of New Zealand destination products and categories, and of standalone, single-branded-style concepts.

This opportunity enables an evolution of the portfolio, repositioning traditional souvenir and gift stores as a contemporary, emporium-style retail destination that showcases the breadth, depth and quality of New Zealand products across multiple categories.

These will be offered alongside highly successful standalone speciality concepts distinctive to both New Zealand and Auckland Airport and not commonly found at other airports.

Collectively, these stores represent one of the largest and most established destination retail opportunities within New Zealand travel retail. The portfolio spans both airside and landside environments, creating an opportunity to develop complementary retail precincts that engage travellers at different stages of their journey.

We are also interested in partners who can bring fresh thinking to the category, including pathways for emerging New Zealand brands, makers and products that are not currently represented within airport retail

Any changes to the current well-tested model?

There is potential to reconfigure some sites and introduce larger-format department-store-style retail to reduce duplication, deliver greater scale as well as depth for certain ranges and concepts. All this while retaining specialist standalone stores that perform strongly in their own right and help differentiate the overall offer.

There are iconic New Zealand brands, products and categories that deserve to be showcased in their own right.

These include mānuka honey, health and wellness products, wool and natural fibres, skincare and natural beauty, food and confectionery, jewellery, pounamu (greenstone), carvings, premium gifts, contemporary art, design-led homewares and artisan-made products.

We are looking not only to retain what works today, but to build on that success for the next generation of our retail proposition.

This category has long been the signature category for Auckland Airport, a diverse, multi-store airside and landside strength. How are you seeking to build on that legacy success and how does destination as a category evolve?

A unique feature of this opportunity is the ability to create a connected destination retail experience across both landside and airside precincts.

We see opportunities to create stronger customer journeys, clearer category storytelling and complementary concepts that work together while maintaining distinct individual identities.

Demand is driven by well-established travel and gifting behaviours, particularly for products that feel meaningful, carry a distinct sense of New Zealand, are easy to shop and simple to gift.

We’re leaning into this by ensuring the category appeals both to visitors wanting to take a piece of New Zealand home with them, and to New Zealanders looking to share a piece of home wherever they go.

What’s your overarching message to potential partners seeking to work with you? How are they going to need to impress you to get over the line?

This RFP represents a rare opportunity to shape one of Auckland Airport’s most strategically important retail categories at the country’s primary international gateway.

We are looking for experienced, ambitious partners who can deliver a step change in quality, execution and commercial performance, while presenting the very best of New Zealand to a global audience.

To get ‘over the line’, partners will need to demonstrate scale, a clear proposition and differentiation, and an ability to create compelling, experience-led retail.

We anticipate moving towards fewer, stronger concepts with clear storytelling and standout execution, rather than duplicative offers.

We are also interested in partners who can bring fresh thinking to the category, including pathways for emerging New Zealand brands, makers and products that are not currently represented within airport retail.

The opportunity is not simply to curate what travellers already expect to see, but to introduce them to a broader and more contemporary showcase of New Zealand’s creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial spirit.

We are particularly interested in partners who can introduce brands, products and experiences that travellers may already know and love from around New Zealand but do not currently encounter within the airport environment.

Success will come from striking the right balance: combining iconic, high-volume New Zealand products with more bespoke, authentic and artisan offers, all delivered through engaging environments that resonate with both international visitors and New Zealanders.

At the heart of this opportunity is a commitment to quality, provenance and cultural integrity. We are seeking partners who respect the stories behind the products, champion New Zealand creators and makers, and place the customer at the centre of their decisions.

How would you sum up ‘the best of New Zealand’ proposition for would-be bidders?

Central to this retail opportunity is Auckland Airport’s ambition to showcase the very best of New Zealand through a curated and evolving retail offer that reflects the breadth, creativity and authenticity of modern New Zealand.

While the category is already one of the airport’s strongest performers, we see significant opportunity to further elevate the experience by bringing together iconic products, trusted household brands, emerging producers, artisan makers and innovative retail concepts in a way that reflects both the established and emerging faces of New Zealand retail.

The offer spans a continuum of products, from accessible, high-volume gifting and popular New Zealand souvenirs through to premium, handcrafted and bespoke products that celebrate provenance, craftsmanship and cultural identity.

It provides an opportunity to celebrate both the familiar and the unexpected – from honey to Hobbiton, wool to Whittaker’s, traditional greenstone to contemporary New Zealand design.

We welcome products and stories that resonate with New Zealanders and international visitors alike, reflecting the people, places, food, culture, innovation and creativity that define New Zealand today.

This includes products inspired by New Zealand’s landscapes, indigenous heritage, outdoor lifestyle, sporting achievements, creative industries and globally recognised cultural icons, alongside new and emerging brands that help shape the future of New Zealand retail.

Who are you targeting and who can take part in the process?

This is an important category for Auckland Airport. As New Zealand’s gateway, we see a responsibility in helping connect people with place and showcasing the best of what New Zealand has to offer.

Through this RFP, we are seeking to attract the strongest possible mix of suppliers, makers, brands and retailers to participate in the category. That includes well-known New Zealand names travellers actively seek out, as well as emerging businesses, artisan producers and new ideas.

We are seeking ways to create pathways for both emerging and established brands, regional producers and innovative concepts to participate, helping ensure the overall offer reflects both the heritage and future of New Zealand retail.

How do you know when you have this balance right?

We want this to be a place where travellers leave with something that genuinely feels connected to New Zealand. This won’t just be a place to pick up a last-minute gift or souvenir.

It will be a destination in its own right, with travellers choosing to make time for it because it represents a definitive showcase of New Zealand products, brands, makers and creativity, and a trusted place to find some of the very best pieces of New Zealand to take with them.

We are intent on creating an even greater sense of pride for Kiwis in how their home country’s major gateway shows up for them and helps put both Aotearoa New Zealand and Tāmaki Makaurau [the Māori name for the greater Auckland region] on the map.

At the heart of this opportunity is a commitment to quality, provenance and cultural integrity. We are seeking partners who respect the stories behind the products, champion New Zealand creators and makers, and place the customer at the centre of their decisions.

From intuitive store design and clear storytelling to the curation of compelling product ranges, success in this category is measured not only in sales, but in the lasting impression New Zealand leaves with each departing traveller. ✈

About Auckland Airport

Auckland Airport, the primary gateway to New Zealand, is one of Australasia’s busiest international airports.

It serves 94% of the country’s long-haul seat capacity and 73% of all international seat capacity. Currently 25 airlines fly from Auckland Airport to 43 international destinations.