The Government has abandoned attempts to sell the Air Force's mothballed Skyhawk fighter jets and nine of the 17 planes will be offered to museums.
A Labour-led government scrapped the Air Force's strike wing in 2001, putting the planes into storage.
Defence Minister Wayne Mapp says every effort has been made to sell the fleet, but no acceptable offers have been received.
Dr Mapp says eight planes will be offered to museums in New Zealand and one in Australia for heritage and display services.
The remaining aircraft are likely to be reduced to spares which could be sold overseas.
