LOS ANGELES—Air New Zealand has appointed MWW as its North American PR agency following a multiagency pitch.

The agency will work with Air New Zealand to drive brand awareness in the United States and Canada, with a focus on the airline’s west coast hubs of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. Upcoming projects will include leveraging sponsorship of the second Hobbit film, managing the airline’s international media program, and continuing to build trade and travel media relations.

The team will be led out of MWW’s Los Angeles office, with support from MWW offices across the U.S.

Air New Zealand’s brand manager for Western markets, John Wilhelm, says the airline’s aggressive growth strategy in North America will benefit from the creativity, strong west coast presence and social media insights demonstrated by MWW in the pitch process.