An Air Force fly over during the New Zealand All Blacks v Australia Wallabies Rugby Championship and Bledisloe Cup match at Eden Park, Auckland on 27 September 2025. Photo: Photosport / Marty Melville
An Air Force fly past over the All Black test at Eden Park at the weekend cost about $20,000.
A year-old Hercules and a Boeing 757 flew over the crowd before the game.
The Defence Force says it actually cost taxpayers nothing extra because the planes need to keep their hours up somehow.
"The squadron would have conducted this activity elsewhere on another day to maintain the currency as part of their baseline qualifications," it told RNZ.
NZ Rugby approached it, asking if it wanted to display the planes.
It was a chance to "engage with a substantial New Zealand and international audience".
It showcased the skill of the crew and capabilities of the Air Force.
"In the case of formation flying, this is a valuable military skill which requires regular practice to ensure the crews remain current in their ability to safely do so," Defence said.
"The marginal cost of this activity was approximately $20,000 based off the 1.1 flying hours of both aircraft involved. However ... this represented no extra cost to the taxpayer."
Five Hercules were bought for about $1.5 billion which covers infrastructure and training.
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