Air New Zealand has partnered with National Geographic to bring New Zealand’s largest Metaverse virtual photo gallery to life. The airline is inviting people around the world to ‘step foot’ in the digital gallery and experience New Zealand through the eyes of its youth.

The digital exhibition features 96 photographs captured by rangatahi across the country during Air New Zealand and National Geographic photo camps, which launched in 2019.

Across five photo camps, world-leading storytellers from the National Geographic Society mentored rangatahi from a range of community groups, teaching them how to express their unique perspective on what it means to be Kiwi, capturing stories of whānau, whenua, and modern life through the lens of a camera.

Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says the gallery has been created to celebrate the next generation of storytellers. “Across the Air New Zealand and National Geographic photo camps, young New Zealanders explored their world through photography, creating incredible art that showcases Aotearoa through the eyes of rangatahi.

“We’re giving people around the world the opportunity to explore their remarkable visual narratives. The virtual gallery transcends geographic boundaries and opens Aotearoa to people on all corners of the globe.

“We’re proud to empower young New Zealanders to express themselves through photography, creating a platform that showcases their diverse perspectives and creativity.” Latamai Katoa from Auckland attended the camp in Russell, Northland and says the virtual gallery is an incredible opportunity to showcase Kiwi art around the world.

“Having our exhibition shown virtually creates accessibility for everyone to view the phenomenal mahi of Aotearoa’s rangatahi. We all should be able to enjoy art no matter where we are or who we are, this way of showing our work allows for everyone to be included.”

Accessible around the world, the virtual gallery features an intuitive user-friendly interface, including a greeting from the Air New Zealand flight attendant who welcomes visitors and directs them to different portals. Up to 50 people can be in each of the six areas of the gallery, giving hundreds of people the opportunity to interact and engage with the art and each other at any given time.

How to access the virtual gallery
The virtual gallery can be experienced with a virtual reality headset or on desktop and mobile. Those interested in viewing can head to: Air New Zealand Virtual Gallery | Photo Camp Exhibition (airnzvirtualgallery.co.nz).