John Oliver’s Campaign Pushes “Weird, Puking Bird” to Victory in New Zealand’s Bird of the Century Contest
The annual Bird of the Year contest in New Zealand took an unexpected turn this year as comedian John Oliver launched a campaign to have the pūteketeke, a water bird with a colorful mullet, named as the winner. Oliver’s campaign, which he humorously championed on his HBO show “Last Week Tonight,” ultimately led to the pūteketeke’s victory in the contest, which was temporarily renamed Bird of the Century to mark the centennial of the organizing group, Forest and Bird.
To ensure the pūteketeke’s success, Oliver discovered a loophole in the contest’s rules allowing anyone with a valid email address to cast a vote. He then went all-out with a high-powered campaign, which included billboards in multiple cities around the world, an oversized bird costume appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s “The Tonight Show,” and a plane flying over Ipanema Beach in Brazil with a banner in support of the bird.
The overwhelming response to Oliver’s campaign resulted in Forest and Bird receiving more than 350,000 verified votes, a record-breaking number that caused their voting verification system to crash. Despite the chaos, Forest and Bird Chief Executive Nicola Toki expressed gratitude for the attention brought to the contest, highlighting the unique connection New Zealanders have with their native wildlife.
While Oliver’s campaign faced pushback from some in New Zealand, including billboards urging him not to disrupt the “pecking order,” he maintained a lighthearted approach, acknowledging the greatness of all New Zealand’s birds while confidently predicting the pūteketeke’s victory.
With the pūteketeke’s win in the Bird of the Century contest, Oliver’s campaign has undoubtedly left a lasting impact on the traditional competition, adding a humorous and international element to the event.