A live interview with Jacinda Ardern was briefly disrupted this week when the Prime Minister had to ask a man dressed as a kangaroo to put his costume's head back on.
She was at Wellington Airport on Wednesday welcoming Australian tourists back into New Zealand for the time in months. Alongside her were people dressed as kiwis as well as a kangaroo.
While speaking to Australia's The Project later in the evening, Ardern explained the country was "so excited" Australians were back that "we've made humans dress up as kangaroos to welcome you".
"We have put our dignity aside for you today," Ardern said.
She didn't want to draw attention to the kiwi as "it's beak is a little on the limp side".
Host Waleed Aly was surprised it was a person dressed as a kangaroo standing behind the Prime Minister, initially thinking it was a "rodent of some sort".
Later, while the interview was still going, the man dressed as the kangaroo took the costume's head off, sparking this request from Aly: "Can you tell the kangaroo to put his head back on".
Aly's co-hosts laughed and remarked that "there are kids watching".
Ardern turned around and asked the man: "Would you mind putting your head back on… they want the full view of the kangaroo".
"I can assure you he has had his head on for the moments of the tourists arriving."
She then inquired where a second costumed Kiwi was, but couldn't find it.
"Our other Kiwi is on a break because we value our workers and they are taking a tea break."
Throughout the exchange, the Australian television hosts were in hysterics.
Among the topics Ardern spoke about on The Project was New Zealand tourism, offering people rides from the airport and her wedding plans.
When asked about handling "gotcha questions" as a politician - something Australian politicians are having issues with during their election campaign at the moment - Ardern avoided answering.
"The issue that I have at this moment in time is I feel even answering this question might embroil me in the Australia campaign. So I am going to instead see whether or not our kiwi is back. Nope we are still waiting."
By the end of the interview, the kangaroo had positioned itself directly behind the Prime Minister, making it look as if she had kangaroo ears.
