Air New Zealand has hired Chinese flight attendants to fill new Auckland based positions just one month prior the airline announced extensive job cuts of Kiwi staff.

According to leaked evidence to the Herald, documents indicate that the national carrier sought applications for 16 cabin crew to be based in Auckland for nine months, NZ Herald reported.

Flight attendants union FARSA said even though the 175 redundancies announced by the airlines don’t affect cabin crew, trained New Zealanders who wish to work should be given the opportunity to rejoin the airline.

FARSA General Secretary Pete Bentley queried why Kiwis were not given the job opportunities, especially former employees of the airline who were made redundant during the recession.

Mr Bentley said that since the redundancies in 2009 former crew members had been re- applying for positions in cabin crew roles but had been rejected.

Additionally another leaked document confirmed more of FARA’s concerns about the Shanghai-sourced staff.

"We can think of no reason for this other than the airline perhaps having some sort of hidden policy to reject all crew applicants whom they have previously made redundant despite their qualifications," FARSA members were told.

Air New Zealand said that only 11 Chinese flight attendants accepted the positions in Shanghai as they were outnumbered by New Zealand employees seconded overseas.

Air New Zealand spokesperson Mark Street said the carrier had 26 Auckland based domestic, Tasman Pacific and long-haul crew on temporary secondment in London.