New Tourism Slogan for New Zealand Leads to Bafflement and Meme Storm

Tourists, friends and family are welcomed to Auckland International Airport in Auckland, New Zealand, on April 13, 2022. Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

New Zealand has tried to lure tourists in many different ways over the years, most highlighting its scenery. Since the 1990s, the M&C Saatchi-devised “100% Pure New Zealand” has remained the primary slogan, supplemented with shorter-duration campaigns emphasising things like the country’s location as Middle Earth in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy.

Whether Tourism New Zealand and Air NZ CEO-turned-Prime Minister Chris Luxon were thinking of Australia’s “Where the bloody hell are you” when they came up with the latest catchphrase may never be known, but it seems they wanted the same breakthrough effect.

So on Feb. 16, Luxon, flanked by Tourism Minister Louise Upston, launched a new campaign to get Australians to visit.

The slogan: “Everyone Must Go.”

An example of the new New Zealand tourism campaign "Everyone Must Go." Courtesy of Tourism NZ

The government will spend $500,000 on an ad campaign featuring the slogan and targeting Australians during the “shoulder season”—the time of year when tourism demand is between peak and off-peak, which in New Zealand is from March to May and September to November.

It’s hoping that investment will lift Australian visitor numbers from the current 88 percent of pre-COVID levels to 93 percent.

It didn’t take long, however, for New Zealanders to express their puzzlement, or mirth, at the slogan.

Cushla Tangaere-Manuel, Labour’s tourism spokesperson, said it “sounds like we’re saying, ‘Hey, New Zealand’s on clearance.’ That kind of makes sense given the political climate and how the morale of New Zealand is right now.”

Green Party tourism spokesperson Celia Wade-Brown said it could refer to the long queues at the inadequate number of toilets at almost every major tourism spot.

But it was the internet which came up with the most amusing reactions, with one commentator saying it would make an excellent tagline for a portaloo company.

Many seized on the fact that last year, New Zealand had a net migration loss of 52,300—the first time the figure had exceeded 50,000—and that forecasts say it will be worse when new statistics are released later this year.

Leaving aside arrivals, 80,200 people chose to leave the country.

A post on X featured a picture of the entire Cabinet with the slogan above them, while many memes targeted the prime ministerhimself.

One man wondered whether the slogan was a subtle dig at Australia’s policy on “501” deportations—wherein New Zealanders who don’t pass a “character test” are deported home.

Another quoted the slogan above a gif of David Brent—the manager in the UK version of “The Office”—awkwardly dancing, implying a similar level of embarrassment.

Falling tourism numbers have a significant impact on New Zealand’s foreign exchange position. In 2019, the industry was worth $14 billion to the economy and comprised 3.7 percent of total GDP.

The most recent Infometrics data, from 2023, showed retruns had dropped to $13.26 billion and 3.2 percent of GDP.