The giant pūteketeke puppet from comedian John Oliver's Last Week Tonight show will be coming to New Zealand to be put on display, with Air New Zealand offering to fly it here for free.
In Last Week Tonight's season finale on December 17, Oliver announced that the giant mascot of the Bird of the Century winner would be flown to New Zealand by the national carrier for free to be put on display.
The British comedian apologised in advance to the mascot's seatmates, joking that it would be a "rough flight" for them.
"Safe travels my friend, we'll miss you but you're going where you belong," said Oliver to applause from the studio audience.
Air New Zealand initially invited the comedian himself to come here to see the pūteketeke.
"Aotearoa has given John a lot of material over the years, so it's only natural he visits the source of many of his punchlines to smooth any feathers he's ruffled," said a press release issued early last month.
While Oliver was unable to come, he offered to send the pūteketeke puppet from his show's set to New Zealand so that it could be enjoyed by Kiwis across the country.
Chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said that the airline was working in collaboration with Forest and Bird and the team at Last Week Tonight to get the puppet here.
"We're working through the logistics to get the puppet onboard, but we can't wait to get John's bird on our very own Air New Zealand bird soon.
"Thank you John, you're a good egg!"
Oliver threw his hat in the ring for New Zealand's prestigious Bird of the Century competition in November — becoming the pūteketeke's official campaigner.
The campaign, described as "alarmingly aggressive", featured bus stop ads across New Zealand, billboards in multiple countries, and the comedian's appearance dressed as the bird on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Air New Zealand said it is having discussions about potential options for the display locations with more to be revealed in the new year.
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