The aircraft was named the “Tainui” after one of the canoes in the Maori migration to New Zealand. It carried the first all-through air mail from England to New Zealand, with covers being stamped at Mildenhall, Melbourne and Palmerston North. Squadron Leader J D Hewitt, Flying Officer C E Kay and Frank Steward were the first to fly between Great Britain and New Zealand. The official time for the flight was 12hrs 9min, and the average speed was about 130mph.