Why would they? I suspect many (perhaps the vast majority) of Airpoints program members are effectively "captive" owing to how much control Air NZ has over domestic routes - particularly regional ones - and so it's just a case of Air NZ throwing a few bones rather than needing to provide a decent program out of fear of competition overtaking them.

The vast majority of my flying is regional (3-4x per month sometimes) so I either take the increasingly meagre scraps Air NZ deems fit to throw me, or I get nothing. I imagine there are many like me.

Add to this the number of people who have blind loyalty because it's all about "sticking up for little old NZ", as well as the easy ride Air NZ has always enjoyed in the media (probably as a quid pro quo for getting cut in on travel review opportunities etc) and I imagine there'd be more concern at Air NZ HQ as to what the next Christmas function will look like, than there would be about improving the Airpoints program.

They don't care because they don't need to care.

If flying regularly internationally, particularly ex-Auckland where there is a better selection of airlines, it is getting to the point where it would make sense to start exploring alternatives. I guess I could look at Jetstar for my Auckland/Wellington/Chch travel (doesn't that allow you to earn on the Qantas program?) and then using Qantas for my trans tasman travel ... maybe that's going to be the plan going-forward.