‘Wearing his undies’: Politician’s live Instagram video goes viral

When a New Zealand political party leader added a fellow MP to her Instagram live she was shocked to find he was in his undies.

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer on her Instagram live. Picture: Instagram

Kiwis like to think their political figures are more down-to-earth and approachable than their counterparts overseas – and the leaders of New Zealand political parties have made relaxed live videos on social media a regular feature of their online presence.

But the co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori took that relaxed approach to the next level earlier this week when they accidentally broadcast a test run on Instagram that saw Rawiri Waititi broadcast live – in his underwear, NZ Herald reports.

Mr Waititi appeared on Debbie Ngarewa-Packer’s livestream on Tuesday night, but it soon became clear that everything was not going according to plan.

“I hope I’m not going to do anything too embarrassing here,” Ms Ngarewa-Packer said as she added her colleague to the stream.

She need not have worried. Mr Waititi had that covered.

“My dad’s wearing his undies!” Mr Waititi’s son exclaimed shortly after his father appeared on camera, prompting Ms Ngarewa-Packer to collapse in fits of laughter.

Co-leaders of Te Pāti Māori on Instagram live. Picture: Instagram

Debbie Ngarewa-Packer had issues with the filters. Picture: Instagram

“Is this a proper live or a practice?” Mr Waititi asked.

“I don’t know,” Ms Ngarewa-Packer replied.

The audience knew.

“I apologise for that whānau, we’re so … organic,” Mr Waititi said.

What followed was a lesson in what not to do as Ms Ngarewa-Packer accidentally cycled through Instagram filters as she attempted to explain the party’s policy of removing GST from food.

“How the heck did I do that?” she asked before another change saw her face multiply across the screen.

“How do you end this?”

“No, you’re asking the wrong fulla,” Mr Waititi replied.

The clip quickly racked up thousands of views, with most commenters appreciating the unscripted comedy.

“I laughed way too much,” one person wrote, while others said it was “pure gold” and the pair were “keeping it real”.

Mr Waititi’s son’s contribution isn’t the first time that a party leader has had their livestream crashed by their child in hilarious fashion.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern went viral when her daughter interrupted her livestream last year. Picture: Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

Last year, a livestream from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern went around the world after it was interrupted by her daughter Neve.

Ms Ardern was midway through describing the country’s new Covid traffic light system when a tiny voice could be heard in the background.

“Mummy …”

“You’re meant to be in bed darling,” Ardern said, turning away from the camera to address the 3-year-old wanderer.

“It’s bedtime, darling, pop back to bed, I’ll come and see you in a second.”

Then it was Nana to the rescue as Ms Ardern’s mum Laurell Ardern arrived to usher Neve back to bed.

“Well, that was a bedtime fail wasn’t it?” Ms Ardern said.

The video was picked up by media around the world, who said the interaction “struck a chord with parents around the world”.

This article originally appeared on NZ Herald and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as ‘Wearing his undies’: Politician’s live Instagram video goes viral