Kiwis are having a laugh on April Fool's Day with politicians, business owners and advocacy groups taking part in the annual tradition.
April Fool's Day falls on the first of April every year and is a custom involving people pranking others.
This year numerous Kiwis got involved including ACT leader David Seymour who announced commercial partnerships for some of Aotearoa's most notable monuments in a joke video.
"My fellow New Zealanders, as you know Labour spent all the money - it's gone and yet we need to balance the budget and pay for the schools, the hospitals, the roads and the cops," Seymour said in the three-minute-long video posted on X.
The MP went on to say there is a "wash of commercial cash" around New Zealand the Government could tap into if only we were prepared to make "small compromises on the integrity and dignity of our national monuments".
He went on to suggest commercial partnership opportunities for businesses to use the monuments for advertising. Some of the examples were "The Hellers Harbour Bridge" in partnership with Hellers, the McMilford Sound in partnership with McDonald's and renaming the Mount as Mount Mainfreight.
Seymour also suggested renaming the Whanganui River as Wakachangi in partnership with beer.
He ended the video by saying if any of these ideas sound like a good idea, to get in touch with the Government's consultation department. The video then ended with a slide saying, "This is satire. Not an endorsement. Happy April Fool's".
People seemed to see the funny side with one person commenting "LOL", while another said "Brilliant, absolutely brilliant".
ACT wasn't alone in their April Fool's joke, Greater Auckland also got involved issuing a press release saying the Government was banning walking.
The release said as part of the Government's 100-day plan they announced a ban on walking on streets and in most public places.
The release quoted Transport Minister Simeon Brown revealing it’s aimed at boosting economic growth and productivity.
"Walking is just too slow and unproductive," Brown is quoted as saying at a press conference.
"We've looked across the country and analysed all the space that can be freed up for more driving lanes if we remove all the footpaths.
"We have received a range of advice that suggests an average arterial road could gain up to two lanes each way, especially if we remove street trees and street lights, while local roads could see road space double. This massive increase in capacity will hugely increase our economic performance and help fix the cost of living crisis that the previous government created."
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is also quoted in the release saying he hasn't seen the details but it "sounds to me like a perfectly sensible policy".
The release also featured Green Party transport spokesperson Julie-Anne Genter who said she was shocked but "not surprised".
"This policy will be terrible for public health, terrible for congestion, terrible for climate and also terrible for local businesses who typically rely on walk-up customers, even though they usually mistakenly think most people arrive by driving," the fake release quotes her as saying.
Hanmer Springs Thermal Pools & Spa also got in on the joke, posting a video to Facebook revealing after 152 years it will be changing its name to Hamner Springs Thermal Pool & Spas due to continuous mispronunciation.
The video showed several people being asked where they were and all replied, "The Ham-ner Springs Thermal Pool & Spa". The correct pronunciation is Hanmer not Hamner.
In the video, a spokesperson says they're changing their name because "everyone calls us that already".
So, did any of them get you?
