New Zealand tourism ad takes cheeky swipe at Australia

KIWI Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Rhys Darby have taken a swipe at Australia with a cheeky advertisement claiming a global conspiracy.

KIWI Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and comedian Rhys Darby have joined forces to take a cheeky swipe at Australia in the country’s latest tourism campaign.

The #getNZonthemap campaign features Mr Darby, best known for playing hapless diplomat Murray, in Flight of the Conchords, as a journalist who gets delivered a “scoop”.

He quickly phones up the Prime Minister “Cindy” to warn her of the “next great conspiracy”.

“New Zealand is being left off world maps ... all over the world!”

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is called “your majesty” in the short clip. Picture: #GetNZonthemap tourism campaign.

Rhys Darby pledges to get to the bottom of the problem, in a new advertisement.

Pasting examples from Ikea, Starbucks, the Smithsonian and BBC around the office he asks: “New Zealand, where the bloody hell are ya?” in reference to the famous Australian tourism campaign that made Lara Bingle a star.

“Australia ... they’re stealing our tourists,” he said, while blaming France and the UK as well for wanting the competition eliminated when it comes to wine and rugby.

But Mr Darby also admits it could be that the “fiddly-looking shaped country, a bit like a half-eaten lamb chop” could be simply overlooked.

“I can be there in three movies and a meal,” he tells Ms Ardern when it comes to fixing the matter, as she takes a call from an office in London.

Model Lara Bingle in a still from the 2006 'Where the bloody hell are ya?' Tourism Australia advertisement.

Ms Ardern posted the video on her social media channels, saying: “Admit it. You’ve noticed the absence of New Zealand on world maps before too. Some call it a conspiracy some call it negligent ... either way it’s time for a wee campaign,” she wrote.

Mr Darby said: “Fellow humans, there’s a big conspiracy going down! We need to prove that New Zealand is missing from world maps so I can update New Zealand’s fearless leader @jacindaardern. Help us #getNZonthemap.”

The conspiracy goes deeper than we thought #getNZonthemap @jamespeshaw #nzqt pic.twitter.com/0QD6UzEZGI

— Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) May 3, 2018

#getNZonthemap found this one in St Tropez... we are there but we are one island. No Cook Strait! #eyeroll Not good enough! pic.twitter.com/GBsqKO3ZYd

— Sally-ann Moffat (@SallyannMoffat) May 2, 2018

Maaaate, NZ Govt website circa 2015ish . . . #getNZonthemap pic.twitter.com/mDbDb2mgpw

— Megan (@Megan_C_W) May 3, 2018

NZ may be missing from this sculpture in Geneva, but at #NPT2018 we’re making sure NZ’s voice is heard on nuclear #disarmament and #nonproliferation. #getNZonthemap pic.twitter.com/XqIsCQyLea

— New Zealand Embassy Vienna (@NZinVienna) May 3, 2018

New Zealand has long been forgotten on global maps, with the government in on the joke, featuring a New Zealand-free world map on its “404 — Page not found” page on its website.

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, centre, greets New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, in London, Thursday April 19, 2018. Picture: Victoria Jones/Pool Photo via AP.