British comedian John Oliver has responded to criticism over his campaign for the pūteketeke to take the Bird of the Century title.
Save the Kiwi's Erin Reilly suggested he doesn't like birds, but speaking on his show Last Week Tonight overnight, Oliver affirmed his love for Aotearoa and its birds.
"How dare you say I don't like birds. I love them, I just don't like your bird because it looks like Donkey Kong's hairy testicle. It looks like a rat carrying a toothpick."
He said the reason he makes New Zealand the butt of his jokes is, "not because I don't like you, it's cause I f***ing love you".
"New Zealand, you are so good at not just talking shit, but taking it with remarkable good humour.
"I talk about you so much because you're the most fascinating country on Earth. You hold bird contests, you sometimes throw dildos at your politicians, you let your people submit images like this (laser kiwi) for your national flag. You're an endless well of joy.
"Honestly I'd talk about you every week if it weren't for all the other crazy shit going on in the world. I would rename this show 'New Zealand Tonight with John Oliver' and it would be an immediate improvement."
Last week the comedian made an appearance on a US late night talk show to make his case for why the pūteketeke should be crowned Bird of the Century.
Oliver threw his hat in the ring for the competition on November 7 — and became an official campaigner for the lake-dwelling bird.
Oliver, dressed in a pūteketeke costume, appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, where he explained how he was drawn to the competition after realising it was "not just restricted to New Zealand".
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