New Zealand's tourism campaign targeted at Aussies ridiculed
New Zealand's new tourism campaign aimed at getting Aussies to travel across the ditch has been slammed for its simple three-word slogan.
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the campaign, which cost $500,000, on Sunday, saying, “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.”
The number of Aussies visiting New Zealand have not bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, sitting at 88 per cent of what they were in 2019.
While the investment into the campaign was largely welcomed, some people were not thrilled about the slogan that reads, "Everyone must go".
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.”
Radio listeners also called up the public broadcaster to criticise the campaign and offer their own hilarious ideas to entice Aussies across the pond.
“No crocs, no snakes, no killer spiders, no cane toads, no 50C heat, no red dirt – see you soon,” one person suggested.
Other Kiwis across social media claim the slogan better describes the exodus of their own residents, after 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, while another added, “Everyone is going, you don’t have to say it."
“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.
Image credits: NZ Tourism