US talk show host John Oliver has weighed in on a very important New Zealand matter: The upcoming Bird of the Century competition. Â
The competition has previously been dubbed Bird of the Year, but this year, with competition runners Forest and Bird turning 100, they have decided itâs time to name the Bird of the Century, and Oliver was determined to cast his vote.Â
While hosting Sundayâs episode of Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, the host not only made time in his busy show to explain what the competition is, he also campaigned for his bird of choice: the pÅ«teketeke.Â
Confessing he would like his chosen bird to have âthe biggest landslide in the history of the competitionâ, he first explained to viewers why New Zealand is holding the election in the first place.Â
US talk show host John Oliver has weighed in on a very important New Zealand matter.Â
âThis is a big deal, New Zealanders love birds,â he exclaimed. âTheyâre famously known as Kiwis after the kiwi bird and birds feature prominently on their currency, which is frankly much better than what US bills have on them.âÂ
Going on to give viewers some background of the competition, he spoke about the scandal and drama that has plagued it throughout the years including findings of voter fraud or attempted fraud in 2015, 2017 and 2020, as well as the controversy after a bat won in 2021. Â
Quoting Forest and Birdâs response at the time, he said: âWeâre not mad, just impressed that someone cares enough about New Zealandâs native birds to rig the competition. This all speaks to how much the people of New Zealand justifiably love this competition.âÂ
And it seems Kiwis arenât the only ones who are passionate about the cause, as Oliver passionately touched on the âbulls**tâ kÄkÄpÅ disqualification in 2008 and 2020 after the competition attempted to shine a light on the countryâs lesser-known birds. Â
âWe donât do that for other awards,â Oliver sarcastically quipped, adding: âOh sorry Beyoncé, youâve already won 32 Grammys. You are disqualified from now on so that someone worse than you can win, I hope you understand.âÂ
Clearly outraged by the decision, Oliver began advocating for the âworldâs fattest parrotâ, claiming the kÄkÄpÅ âearned those wingsâ and proceeded to share the viral clip of Stephen Fry and zoologist Mark Carwardineâs interaction with the bird in 2009 which saw a kÄkÄpÅ attempt a mating dance with Carwardine.Â
Elsewhere in the 13-minute segment, Oliver presented his viewers with an in-depth guide on the election, revealing to US fans the birds currently campaigning â including a tawaki, kuaka, tÅ«Ä« and kÄrearea â have their very own campaign managers. Before revealing the competition is not restricted to New Zealanders.Â
Telling viewers that anyone with a valid email address can vote, Oliver said: âAnd by now, Iâm pretty sure you know where this is going,â before revealing his campaign for the pÅ«teketeke, or the Australasian crested grebe.Â
Confessing he chose the bird because it âlooks like Pauly D f****d a swan,â and he finds the name âfun to sayâ, he shared fun facts about the bird including that they are known for carrying their babies on their backs.Â
John Oliver is so passionate about the pÅ«teketeke he even had a massive animatronic version made.Â
He also spoke about their mating dance, âwhere they both grab a clump of wet grass and chest bump each other before standing around unsure of what to do nextâ.Â
âI have never identified with anything more in my f*****g life,â he said.Â
Telling veiwers the pÅ«teketekeâs existence is under threat, he stood up from his desk and walked over to another stage where he revealed a huge animatronic version of the bird and urged viewers: âSo please, before the contest closes at the end of this week, got to votethisbird.com and select the pÅ«teketeke as your number one vote.âÂ
He concluded his campaign for the bird by jokingly adding: âAfter all, this is what democracy is all about: America interfering in foreign elections.âÂ
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