New Zealand prime minister launches campaign to get country put back on world maps

New Zealand prime minister and Flight of the Conchords comedian team up to #getnzonthemap

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern and Rhys Darby, famous for New Zealand comedy smash Flight Of The Conchords, have teamed up in a 2.5 minute spoof video which aims to put New Zealand back on the map.

The tongue-in-cheek tourism campaign raises a serious point: that New Zealand is frequently missed off world maps.

As a consequence of this oversight, a subreddit, MapsWithoutNZ, was created last year, where nearly 30,000 subscribers can submit their examples of the latest blunder.

Darby’s investigations reveal that New Zealand is missing from maps in Getty’s stock photo library, Starbucks cafes, Ikea, in-flight magazines and at New York’s Central Park Zoo.

In the film, an alarmed Darby comes up with a number of conspiracy theories to explain the country’s exclusion, including accusing Australia of “stealing” their tourists, England of “trying to get rid of the All Blacks once and for all” and France of being threatened by New Zealand’s global wine industry.

The #getnzonthemap campaign is part of a drive to encourage more visitors to the country, known by Maoris as The Land of the Long White Cloud.

One of the most isolated countries on the globe, New Zealand has long been a top pick on many travellers’ bucket lists, experiencing a surge in tourist numbers after the successful Lord of The Rings and Hobbit film franchises revealed its stunning landscape to a global audience.

The country, which is comprised of approximately 600 islands, is broadly separated into two main islands: the north and south.

Close in size to Japan, the country’s population is just over four million, making it one of least populated countries on earth.

In 1893, the country became the first on earth to give women the vote. Ardern, who is currently expecting her first child, will be the country’s third female prime minister and the first leader to have a child while in power since Benazir Bhutto in 1990.