A new campaign by the New Zealand government to attract Aussie tourists has led to mockery on both sides of the ditch.

The ‘Everyone Must Go’ campaign, launched this week at a cost of $450,000 to Kiwi taxpayers, has been derided as making the country sound ‘like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale’.

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the goal was to lift Australian visitor numbers from about 88 per cent of pre-Covid levels, to 93 per cent. 

His announcement came just weeks after New Zealand eased visa rules and allowed tourists to work remotely while visiting, in another move to boost faltering tourism. 

But opposition politicians were quick to pan the campaign as ill-conceived.  

‘We’ve had the digital nomad announcement, now we’ve got this – the attitude of anyone, anytime, anywhere, is concerning,’ said Labor tourism spokesperson Cushla Tangaere-Manuel.

Greens tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown added that the slogan ‘Everyone Must Go’ might refer to the need for toilets in some of the country’s high-tourist spots. 

Their criticism was carried as far afield as CNN and NBC News in the US – and reaction from Kiwis at home was no less scathing.

The ‘Everyone Must Go’ campaign launched this week at a cost of $450,000 to Kiwi taxpayers

The ad was described by Kiwis as making NZ sound ‘like we’re in a clearance bin at a sale’

‘It’s just embarrassing that this got past the first review. Did they get AI to do it?’ one asked.

‘I had to rewatch Flight of the Conchords just to make sure they hadn’t stolen this idea from Murray!’ said another.

One New Zealander said his Aussie friends had ‘absolutely ripped me a new one’ over the slogan.

Australians – the target audience of the campaign – reacted with groans about the cost of visiting New Zealand.

‘We could fly to Bali from Brisbane… cheaper than to any destination in New Zealand. And the price of petrol in NZ makes road tripping bloody expensive,’ said one. 

‘If they could turn flights to NZ into a domestic route, instead of all the passport/customs palaver, I’d be there all the time!’ said another. 

New Zealand’s economy has struggled to recover since the pandemic. The country has been in recession since the third quarter of last year, and the cost of living is steadily increasing.

In 2024 a record number of people – 72,000 – left the country, more than offsetting 25,000 migrant arrivals. 

Most of those migrant departures – 56 per cent – went to Australia.