Air New Zealand gets political for new Christmas advert

Things get political in Air New Zealand’s new Christmas ad, which features a mini-Trump and a dig from across the ditch.

An international delegation of naughty kids trying to negotiate their way on to Santa’s “nice” list is the theme of this year’s super-cute Christmas ad from Air New Zealand.

The just-released ad begins with a leaked memo of Santa’s naughty list and a gang of unruly New Zealand pupils discovering they won’t be getting any presents this year unless they mend their ways, the New Zealand Herald reports.

In what could be described as the plot of a never-aired House of Cards and Rugrats crossover, they enlist the help of Air New Zealand to summon the world’s naughtiest children to a “summit” and pledge to change.

The rather un-festive setting takes place in a model UN comprised of some naughty kids who bear an uncanny relation to their grown-up counterparts.

A dumpy delegate from the US in a red “Make Christmas Great Again” baseball cap appears to miss the point of the summit.

The delegate from the United States of America looks a little familiar. Picture: Air NZ

He didn’t get the reaction he was hoping for. Picture: Air NZ

These miniature world leaders make a bunch of pledges such as “to reduce hair pulling” in the hope of redeeming themselves in time for a visit from Father Christmas.

The delegate from New Zealand promises Kiwi kids will “do all our chores, spend less time on our phones, and be nicer to Australia” — before the camera reveals his fingers firmly crossed behind his back.

The international symbol of “not really”. Picture: Air NZ

Last year the Air New Zealand Christmas advert “Mirry Christmas” gained international attention. This previous video attracted 13 million views and won the Global Content award at the PRWeek Global Awards in London.

As Father Christmas read received calls from Kiwi kids he gets himself in a muck mishearing basket balls as “biscuit balls” and a “brand new beard”.

Cutesy world leaders arrive in New Zealand for the summit — flown in by Air New Zealand, of course. Picture: Air NZ

International diplomacy just took an adorable turn. Picture: Air NZ

However, this year’s festive offering raises more questions than it answers, such as: What has this to do with Christmas?

The airline’s brand manager Jodi Williams defended the setting, saying it suits the manic time of the year perfectly.

“From childhood memories of writing to Santa, through to the drama of a festive tech fail, the heartwarming video plays on silly season moments in a very Kiwi way,” she said.

The video auditioned more than 300 children of Air New Zealand employees to appear in the clip, before 17 were selected for the video with the airline’s ground and cabin crew.

Will these kids live up to their promises or will they renege after Father Christmas has been and they get what they want? I supposed we’ll have to wait until next Christmas to find out who’s still on the naughty list.

A version of this article originally appeared on the New Zealand Herald and was reproduced with permission