With a legacy of supporting Kiwis through services like roadside assistance, vehicle repairs, driver licensing, travel planning and insurance, the NZAA recognised that its digital infrastructure needed to evolve to meet the expectations of modern members. Extensive member and customer research identified a pressing need for a new mobile application.
Built by Datacom and launched in a staged release, the app unifies a previously fragmented digital ecosystem into a single, modern experience that people can use to access different services, manage AA membership and explore Member Benefits while on the go.
The project began with a clear goal: make it faster and easier for members, customers and New Zealanders in general to deal with the AA and provide a rich experience for those who prefer digital engagement.
AANZ Digital Value Stream Lead, Emma Thomas describes the project as a shift from a collection of disparate apps to a “one-stop shop” for AA’s range of products and services.
The minimum 'lovable’ product that launched initially was deliberately lean, intended to prove value quickly while laying the groundwork for ongoing expansion. The new app provides a new interface to a dependable, scalable platform that can house future features and improve everyday experiences for members and the broader public, says Thomas.
“I couldn't be happier with how Datacom has delivered on this project; the expertise, professionalism, and laser focus on quality outcomes makes them a great cultural fit.”
The AA released the app in November, without a public promotional push. The reception far exceeded internal expectations: downloads quickly surpassed targets, and once marketing activity began, usage rose further, with particular traction for the AA Roadservice function.
New features include a smoother Roadservice experience that eases the stress of a callout, a digital membership card that removes the need to carry a physical card, and a Trip Tracker feature that allows travelers - not just members - to enter a destination and get an estimate of how much the journey will cost, both in financial and environmental terms.
Thomas says the app’s early momentum is a promising sign for both the member experience and AA’s strategic goals. The platform has been built to evolve and provide a strong foundation for cross-selling, retention, and more self-service options. A deeper integration with internal processes and external services is on the roadmap.
With the future in mind, the app was designed as a modular Flutter solution with an API layer that integrates with the AA’s existing systems, including AEM CMS, Boomi and other third-party services. Behind the content rich and polished front end lies a complex network of integrations and legacy systems, that required careful coordination and a single delivery approach to bring the vision to life.
The development took a greenfield approach designed to support the AA’s long‑term roadmap ambitions. With a timeline of around 14 months, the team was able to invest in architecture capable of hosting new initiatives while keeping operating costs in check, and the project came in on time and on budget, says Head of Datacom Digital, Elias Billeh.
"The project has demonstrated what can be achieved when a customer and supplier operate as one cohesive team, aligned by a shared purpose of serving members better and enabling a more sustainable, scalable digital platform for the future,” he says.
The scope was ambitious. Datacom led the Flutter front‑end build, while AA maintained a large internal team responsible for integration work, connecting to legacy systems and ensuring data flows across multiple platforms remained reliable.
Thomas says the hardest part of delivery was not the front‑end interface but the orchestration across multiple vendors and legacy systems; this risk was mitigated through close, day‑to‑day collaboration and a shared team ethos that blurred traditional vendor boundaries.
“From the practical realities of the integration work in the project’s early days, it became evident that the app’s value would emerge not just from visual polish but from the reliability of its connections to backend systems, middleware and data services.”
Datacom delivered the app as a true partnership with AA, with the teams operating as a single delivery unit with daily standups across design, build, testing and release, says Thomas.
Billeh says, “Standout aspects of the project were the strong joint ownership across complex dependencies and timelines, high delivery quality reflected in low UAT defect rates, a scalable mobile platform designed to support loyalty, engagement, and future revenue opportunities, and a product mindset focused on long-term value rather than a one-off launch.”
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