traffic controller at McMurdo Station the word 'McMurdo' instead of the
actual co-ordinates (latitude and longitude) of the southernmost
waypoint. The Commissioner said:

(e) When the TACAN position [a navigational aid at McMurdo Station
enabling aircraft to ascertain their distance from it] was typed
into the airline's ground computer in the early morning of 28
November 1979, there was also made the additional entry to which I
have referred, which would result in the new co-ordinates not being
transmitted to McMurdo with the Air Traffic Control flight plan for
that day. It was urged upon me, on behalf of the airline, that
McMurdo Air Traffic Control would consider the word 'McMurdo' as
indicating a different position from that appearing on Air Traffic
Control flight plans dispatched from Auckland during 1978 and 1979.
I cannot for a moment accept that suggestion. First Officer Rhodes
made a specific inquiry at McMurdo within a few days of the
disaster and ascertained that the destination waypoint of the first
Air Traffic Control flight plan for 1979 had been plotted by the
United States Air Traffic Control personnel, and there was evidence
from the United States witnesses that this would be normal
practice. In my view the word 'McMurdo' would merely be regarded,
and was indeed regarded, by McMurdo Air Traffic Control as
referring to the same McMurdo waypoint which had always existed. In
my opinion, the introduction of the word 'McMurdo' into the Air
Traffic Control flight plan for the fatal flight was deliberately
designed to conceal from the United States authorities that the
flight path had been changed, and probably because it was known
that the United States Air Traffic Control would lodge an objection
to the new flight path.