This TEAL Airlines Ashtray is made from Melamine (plastic) and has a Tiki with 'Fly TEAL' on it. Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL) was the forerunner of Air New Zealand. It was first registered in Wellington as a limited liability company on 26 April 1940. The shares were originally held by the New Zealand government (20%), Union Airways (19%), BOAC (38%) and Qantas (23%)....TEAL became AIR NEW ZEALAND in late 1965.