New Zealand’s $500,000 tourism campaign targeted at Aussies mocked

New Zealand’s new $500,000 tourism campaign to try and lure Aussies across the ditch is being mocked for its three-word slogan.

New Zealand’s new tourism campaign aimed at Australians with the slogan “Everyone Must Go” is being mocked.

“My message to Australians is it’s time to swap the thongs for the jandals, the Hunter Valley for the Hawke’s Bay and get the bloody hell over here,” New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said in a press conference announcing the $NZ500,000 ($450,000) campaign on Sunday.

Visitor numbers from Australia have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at 88 per cent of what they were in 2019.

While the investment has been welcomed by tourism industry groups, not everyone is rapt about the choice of slogan to lure Aussies across the ditch.

New Zealand’s new tourism campaign to lure Aussie tourists has been widely mocked. Picture: NZ Tourism

Labour’s tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel told Radio NZ that “it makes New Zealand sound like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale”.

“We’ve had the digital nomad announcement, now we’ve got this – and the attitude of anyone, anytime, anywhere, is concerning,” she said.

Meanwhile, Green Party tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown quipped: “I think ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of our high-tourist spots. I mean, the queues are ridiculous.”

Both politicians expressed concern over the pressure on infrastructure if visitation were to improve as hoped.

Listeners also called up the public broadcaster to criticise the campaign and offer their own ideas.

“No crocs, no snakes, no killer spiders, no cane toads, no 50C heat, no red dirt – see you soon,” one person suggested.

NZ Tourism Minister Louise Upston and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the campaign and slogan on Sunday. Picture: NZ National Party

Other Kiwis across social media claim the slogan better describes the exodus of their own residents.

A record number of people – 72,000 – left the country in 2024, according to Stats NZ.

“Everyone is going … to Australia,” one person wrote on the PM’s Instagram announcement.

“Everyone is going, you don’t have to say it,” echoed another.

“I think our Aussie mates are getting enough of a Kiwi experience in their own neighbourhood, hiring our nurses, teachers, police, engineers and doctors,” wrote a third.

The campaign cost taxpayers $NZ500,000. Picture: NZ Tourism

NZ Tourism Minister Louise Upston said the slogan “Everyone Must Go” lets Australia know that “New Zealand is a must visit destination” and they are awaiting to welcome Aussies “right now”.

Just three weeks ago New Zealand eased visa regulations to allow tourists to work remotely while visiting the country in a major move to boost its economy and tourism.

The government said it was all about moving with the times and keeping up with today’s flexible working environment — which has seen Aussies flock to places like Singapore and Bali so they can live the dream while working remotely.

“The change is part of the government’s plan to unlock New Zealand’s potential by shifting the country onto a faster growth track,” Economic Growth Minister Nicola Willis said.

“Tourism is New Zealand’s second largest export earner generating revenue of almost $NZ11 billion ($9.9 billion) and creating nearly 200,000 jobs.

“Making the country more attractive to ‘digital nomads’ – people who work remotely while travelling – will boost New Zealand’s attractiveness as a destination.”

New Zealand’s economy has been faltering for a few years and plunged into a technical recession during the third quarter of last year.