wayoutwest

What a load of BS from the politically correct. The policy is no tats, it is not no Maori tats, no English tats, it is no tats plain and simple. As for this they use the koru, so do a few pacifica people, shall we tell them to stop using it 'cos Maori own it.
No the rule is no tats, good on NZ for sticking to its guns and I hope they do not give in to some meddlesome troublemakers who at the end of the day don't really want a job they just wnat self publicity.
If they give in to this nonsense where can they legitimally stop - word tats, faces, cars why not the old Nazi cross - some people actually hold that as a sacred symbol, just as some hold gang insignia on their faces as sacred.

jeffrocowboy

hmmm, doesnt seem to have been an issue in the thousands of other workplaces that employ customer service staff

jeffrocowboy

and to prove how open minded I am


http://www.nzherald.co.nz/air-new-ze...ectid=10887160

Editorial: Up to Air NZ to judge the real view of tattoos

Critics accusing airline of hypocrisy miss the poin

Air New Zealand has been widely criticised for turning away an aspiring stewardess with a moko in the skin of her forearm. A tattoo is probably the most permanent personal statement it is possible to make. Unlike clothing or a hairstyle or a piercing of the lips or nose, a tattoo cannot simply be discarded. Removal is an expensive and painful procedure that is quite likely to leave a stain in any case.

Its permanence makes criticism seem unkind and pointless, which is why people who would never scar their own bodies generally respond politely and even supportively to those who do. But an employer cannot afford to be polite to "body art" that might damage the business.

Air New Zealand has been widely criticised for turning away an aspiring stewardess with a moko in the skin of her forearm. In response the airline says it is reviewing its policy. It will be weighing up whether the woman's complaint has done more harm to its public image than tattooed cabin attendants might do to its business. In other words, it must assess whether the tolerance people profess in public truly represents their feelings.

It is true, as the Prime Minister said, that tourists to New Zealand who meet Maori culture will see lots of tattoos.

But Maori culture presents visitors with many gestures and modes of dress they probably would not appreciate on the national airline.

Nobody outside Air New Zealand is in a position to question its commercial judgment. Critics do not depend for their salaries on the airline's success in a competitive international market. Air New Zealand managers have the best incentive to assess the true reaction of most people to tattoos and the company's decision on whether to maintain its ban on visible tattoos will be a reliable indicator of how society really regards this fashion among younger people today.

Many of their critics have accused the company of hypocrisy since the rejected tattoo was a Maori motif and Air New Zealand brands itself with a koru. They missed the point. The aversion of many people to tattoos goes deeper than the subject drawn, it is the act of deliberate and permanent disfigurement as they see it, that they find appalling.

Maori and Pasifika patterns are more attractive than most of the insignia commonly carved into skin and Maori motifs are now often imitated in other parts of the world, not always to the pleasure of their cultural proprietors. It may be that faux ta moko already help promote New Zealand in other places. If so it could be greatly to the advantage of Air New Zealand to have genuine examples of the art on some of its front-line staff.

But the company has not seen it that way, or not until this week. Its reassessment, when it comes, ought to be doubly respected because Air New Zealand not only has the incentive to make the right decision, it is not a conservative company. It is more adventurous than most in its presentation of itself, notably with pre-flight safety films that are not afraid to challenge passengers' expectations and sense of humour, not to mention their patience.

The company's disapproval of tattoos might be quietly applauded by many parents with children coming to an impressionable age. Anything that could discourage young people from taking a step they might regret for the rest of their lives would be doing them a service.

A tattoo is not like the fads earlier generations adopted at a similar age. The only lingering harm done by long hair and flared trousers are frightful photographs that need never be seen. Not so a tattoo. It is there every time you strip off. Whatever it once said about you, you will live with it for life.

LGACIC

Have to disagree. I'm not sure why multiple posters keep claiming this is PC nonsense, or why the issue is frivolous - political correctness has nothing to do with it, at least in my case. Yes, we can probably agree that NZ has the right to do this - after all, they did it and got away with it. And yes, we can agree that it is difficult to make policies that try to direct how one's employees should dress, appear, etc. That doesn't seem to answer the core issue of those who disagree with NZ's decision here, though.

First, does wayoutwest have any evidence that the Maori women who applied "doesn't really want a job"? If so, that would be an interesting addition to this discussion. If not, it seems pointlessly defamatory.

Second, the argument that "if we allow this, then XXX crazy insane thing (like swastikas) will have to be allowed" is lazy. There are many categorical distinctions between Maori tattoos and swastikas that can meaningfully and easily be made. Or even tattoos on the arm versus facial tattoos.

Third, as pointed out, NZ's policy on tattoos in the workplace is starting to look outdated. Tattoos in general are much more prevalent in New Zealand, American, and other societies. They don't hold the connotations of social deviance they once did.

Fourth, the most important issue - NZ on the one hand celebrates and appropriates Maori (or broadly Pasifika) symbols, then won't employ people using them. How is this not hypocritical or just crassly exploitative of the culture? Some have made the argument that NZ need only think about the bottom line, but businesses (especially airlines) are always more than just profit-making groups of people. We expect (and legislate) them to behave according some standard of decency, even if they often don't.

This last part is what makes the discussion interesting to me. Airlines in particular evoke loyalty, hatred, national pride, etc., as all of us on Flyertalk can attest. Isn't it right to have an interest in how they behave?

everywhere

Rodney Hide did a good piece on this one.

midkemia

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=10889054

"The reality is that many of our international customers, particularly on Asian services, would not feel comfortable interacting with staff with visible tattoos in the close confines of the aircraft cabin environment - regardless of whether the tattoos are considered to be cultural or otherwise.

So what about passengers? I am tattooed. Shoulder to wrist on both arms 'sleeved' if you will. Will I now be told to cover up when traveling on Asian routes just in case I cause offense to a fellow passenger?

Markhm

Im glad Tama Iti isnt a FA!

The Travel Snob

Ooh, my goodness, how horrid. I most certainly hope you are told to cover up.

jeffrocowboy

more about tattoos

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/ar...ectid=11125046

poopbunny

Have to take the Jap's side on this one. Banning of tattoos in Japanese bathouses is a reasonably well known. She should have obeserved local custom and covered it up if she really wanted to go. Looks to me like she was trying to draw media attention.

wayoutwest

We hear about how Maori culture should be respected by NZ in the earlier posts - does it not work both ways, Maori should respect other cultures especially when they in another country!

nzlilibet

^ +1

jawnbc

Eventually the Japanese will let the Yen do the talking: increasingly international visitors have tattoos. They have money to spend. You should be able to spot the ones who aren't in Japanese gangs when they pay...