We reveal Air New Zealand’s top-secret koru club with incredible perks

Stuff Travel has uncovered the location and incredible perks of Air New Zealand’s top secret Koru Club which is reserved for its wealthiest and most famous flyers.

Membership to Elite Priority One (known as EP1) is highly secretive with Air New Zealand keeping it completely under wraps.

The airline has no publicly available information on its website about the programme.

The exact location of the clubs has long been rumoured but never publicly revealed – until a missed morning shower led to the clue I’d long been waiting for.

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After running late for an international trip, I decided to skip my morning shower and instead have one in the Koru Lounge.

On the hunt for hygiene, I wandered down a little-used corridor I’d never explored. It had a kids area and shower block.

There, attached innocently to the wall, was a fire escape plan. And it’s here I discovered a secret wing of the Koru Club right under my nose.

The map revealed that just a few metres further down the corridor I’d find an entrance. Sure enough, I found a semi-frosted door with the words “by invitation only”.

The floor plan revealed an expansive space including a boardroom, offices, and a stairwell leading to a mystery location.

A peek through the frosted glass showed large floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the main departures area, with plush decor. Gone is the usual Koru Club buffet; meals are à la carte, with a premium selection of drinks.

Access to the EP1 programme is understood to be by invitation from Air New Zealand’s CEO Greg Foran.

Membership is thought to number about 100, including chief executives of top New Zealand companies and a university vice-chancellor.

Stuff has previously reported that “details of where the lounges are located and the VIP treatment they offer are a closely guarded secret”.

That is, until now.

A design company that put together a welcome kit for DP1 members has posted mock-ups of what each member receives on its website, revealing lots about the scheme.

On being invited to join the programme, members get a personalised gift that is designed to look like a luxury travel bag.

It includes an ‘Aroha’ bottle of wine from Craggy Range, “a personalised boxed titanium pen, personalised artistic representation of their previous year’s flying data, and a cardboard welcome pack including; a welcome letter, membership card, personalised luggage tags, Deadly Ponies luggage tags holders, and a book of benefits”.

The exact perks of this exclusive programme have also long been a closely-guarded secret.

However, in showing off its designs, the company posted a “book of benefits” – and if you zoom in, you can read them all.

It reveals a vast set of perks, including free valet parking, exclusive boarding when you please, a guarantee of first meal choice on planes, free fare flexibility on any flight and guaranteed recognition upgrades – to name just a few.

Most benefits can also be given to up to five other travelling companions.

Perks also include a personal meet and greet off every flight international flight (excluding Australia) and access to Koru lounges when you land.

The document also explains you can “relax in an Elite Priority One lounge when departing Auckland and Sydney international airports”.

You can invite five people into the lounge with you, where you can “enjoy à la carte dining and a selection of premium beverages”.

Air New Zealand has been asked for more details about its exclusive club, but is yet to respond.