Air New Zealand customers can expect to enjoy a new and surprising in-flight menu aboard domestic and international flights by the end of the year, as the airline launches a nationwide search for the best Kiwi snacks.

‘The Great Kiwi Snack Off’ sees the airline seeking New Zealand-made snacks to revamp and expand their onboard trolley offerings. According to Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty, the bites should “surprise and delight” customers across “different dietary needs and time-of-day appetites.”

The judging criteria includes how well a snack represents and celebrates the history and “provenance of NZ, Māori and Pasifika or social enterprises”; how inventive and tasty the flavours are; whether the packaging and ingredients are sustainable; and whether the foods cater to customers with allergies and dietary needs.

Most importantly, the snacks must be made in New Zealand or with ingredients from NZ.

The airline has also waived any concerns for die-hard Air New Zealand fans – the end-of-flight lolly will be sticking around, as will the Koru hour cheese and crackers.

Snack suppliers across the country are eligible to submit an expression of interest, including those who already stock with the airline and boutique suppliers who currently serve a smaller customer base. The airline is hoping that the wide criteria will encourage bespoke suppliers to submit their products too.

It’s the first time the company has had a full review of the onboard snack options for domestic, short-haul and long-haul flights since 2018. Last year, Air NZ did update the in-flight snack options for domestic flights to include popcorn, crisps, muesli bars and chocolate, after trialling the menu with more than 7000 customers. However, this snack hunt will result in bigger changes, as the chosen bites will be rolled out across short- and long-haul international flights too.

The expressions of interest will be open until May 1, and the new range of locally-supplied snacks will be chosen before the end of the year.

But what should be on the menu?

In anticipation of the upcoming menu, Anna King Shabab, founder of food community Lazy Susan and the Herald’s Hungry Traveller columnist, rounds up her favourite picks for the new airline snacks.

Hāngī steamed buns

A genius pairing that sees Rewi Spraggon’s flavoursome hangi in a pillow-soft Old Country Food steamed bun. Sinking your teeth into one of these while gazing out at the clouds below would be bliss.

Giapo’s selfie cone

Take your first holiday snap mid-flight! Auckland ice cream maker Giapo is famous for its ‘Grammable cone creations including the Selfie Cone which offers up an embellished chocolate frame to box your noggin in. Or, Giapo has created a koru cone in the past which feels a natural fit for the airline. Whatsmore there are loads of vegan options for the ice cream element, and everything made in the Giapo kitchen is gluten-free.

Annarosa and Giapo Grazioli with their "selfie cone" creation. Photo / Dean Purcell

Pāua pies

Goodness knows we love a pie and it doesn’t get better than when that golden, flaky pastry is stuffed full of creamed pāua. The world deserves to know about this low-key luxury snack. Who better to teach them than Chatham Islands Food Co., which pulls its pāua from remote, pristine waters, or the folks from Cafe 35 in Tokomaru Bay, which bakes up road trip gold.

Chips and dip

To ramp up the party-in-the-sky vibes, this has to be a shoo-in. Purists would call for the classic combo of reduced cream and onion soup dip, tinged with a lick of lemon juice and topped with chives if you want to be fancy, with a bowl of ready salted on the side. But while I’ve got the mic, I have to put a word in for an absolute gem of a combo that speaks to our maritime culture – salt and vinegar chips dunked into Country Goodness Seafood Fiesta Dip.

Tangy Fruits

RIP. I’m thinking perhaps Air New Zealand has the sway to convince Pascall to revive this legendary lolly of yore. Just like people went to the cinema purely so they could munch on these highly aromatic, tropical fruit candies, so, I am sure, they would board a flight to anywhere really to get their hands on them again.

Cheese scone

Served warm, with a thick slab of good Kiwi butter, this chunky number is guaranteed to tide passengers through. As for which scone rules, just ask Wellington, the cheese scone capital of Aotearoa, where cafes and bakeries litter the footpaths with sandwich boards enticing pedestrians off the beat and into a warm cheese-filled fug.

Anna King Shahab is co-founder of food and travel community Lazy Susan. lazysusan.nz