Wellington: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has joined an onlinecampaign launched by Kiwis tired of finding their remote South Pacifichomeland missing from global maps.

In a video launched by Tourism New Zealand, comedian Rhys Darby highlightsNew Zealand’s absence from maps at Ikea, Starbucks and New York’s CentralPark Zoo, and tells Ardern it is part of a vast plot to undermine NewZealand’s popularity.

“Australia want our tourists, England want to get rid of the All Blacks andthe wine industry, they can’t beat our [beverages],” he says.

Alerted to the conspiracy theory, Ardern responds: “You might be ontosomething.”

The government’s official website is on board too, with its 404 error pagesaying “we’re sorry, something’s missing…” alongside a New Zealand-freemap.

A worldmapswithoutnz website and a hashtag, #getNZonthemap, have addedfurther momentum to the campaign and prompted endless discussion online.

The website lists several other maps that do not include New Zealand,including a submission from Pyongyang International Airport, which shows alarge yellow clock displaying the time in Sydney where New Zealand shouldbe.

A caption below reads: “Hopefully they use the same map in the rocketlaunch command centre.”

Tourism New Zealand chief executive Stephen England-Hall said the campaignwas a light-hearted way to get the message across and promote the countryas a holiday destination.

“It’s unfathomable that New Zealand is left off world maps,” he said. -APP/AFP