New Zealand's PM John Key does Letterman's Top 10
We don't get much chance on The Ticket to write about New Zealand politics. So we grab every opportunity.
Tonight is one. So, attention all overseas Ticket readers, especially in New Zealand.
Turns out President Barack Obama Monday night and then President Bill Clinton were just warm-up acts on "The Late Show With David Letterman."
New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key was in New York City today at the United Nations, like every other world leader except North Korea's Kim Jong-TinyGuy.
So Key's clever staff did a deal with the Letterman staff to provide his famous face doing the Letterman Top Ten List in return for slipping in some nice words promoting New Zealand's beauty and tourism.
Classic late-night. Letterman gets some publicity and so does the good-natured Key, who can argue credibly back home it was to promote tourism.
In a brief conversation, the aging Dave learns that they do have mail now in New Zealand and that the island nation is in the Pacific Ocean. Sounds like Dave could use a visit himself.
Key does talk funny to those New Yorkers' ears. However, the writers came up with some good lines:
No. 9 New Zealand has the loosest slots on the Pacific Rim.
No. 8 New Zealand only a convenient 20-hour flight away.
No. 7 Like England, only without the attitude.
No. 4 If you come in the next 30 days, I'll pick you up at the airport myself.
No. 2 We drive on the left side of the road, like Britain and Lindsay Lohan.
We'll leave No. 1 for you to see for yourself on the entire CBS video here.
-- Andrew Malcolm
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Thanks for posting this video.
Peter Cram
Auckland, New Zealand
p.s if Mr Key is busy, I can pick you up from the airport.
Posted by: Peter Cram | September 24, 2009 at 07:18 PM
I liked #5." Get the whanau [far-now] (family) together, stay in a bach (holiday house by the beach), crack open the chilly-bin (cooler, is it? A box that keeps your drinks cool) and slap on your jandals (flip-flops, is it?)."
Posted by: T | September 24, 2009 at 08:49 PM
"Key does talk funny to those New Yorkers' ears."
In the segment he sounded funny to our ears as well - particularly at the start.
Perhaps he tried to Americanise his speech and ended up sounding Australian (the difference between Australian and NZ accents is noticeable to us, like the difference between American and Canadian accents is noticeable to a Canadian).
Posted by: T | September 24, 2009 at 08:52 PM
He went over reasonably well considering as he said in his own words afterwards it was designed for American audiences and written with American script writers and that it probably wouldn't go down too well with New Zealand audiences.
He also doesn't normally sound that way, he came across in accent as an Australian.
Good plug for New Zealand tourism and doing his job as Minister of Tourism as well as Prime Minister.
Posted by: J Lockwood | September 25, 2009 at 05:47 PM
Key did a good job on Letterman.
He did an excellent job today(Sept 25th)on Canadian business television BNN here in Toronto-broadcasts across Canada.
I am a kiwi who has lived in Canada for nearly 50 years.
Made me proud-I'm a dual citizen.
Posted by: Jack Delaney | September 25, 2009 at 09:28 PM
Re Post : #5 . 'Whanua' is indeedthe word for 'Family' - the Maori word of the Indiginous ppl, Bach is a Holiday home or Cottage by the Sea, Chilly-bin is a Portable Cooler that keeps things Chilled, And Jandals, called flipflops or many another name were First Designed and Marketed in NZ before they were overseas. John Key is definately a people person and temporarily wearing the Tourism ministers hat he excelled for New Zealand (Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud), Clean Green Godzone NZ ;o)
~moz~
New Zealand.
Posted by: ~moz~ | September 26, 2009 at 01:28 AM
He did a good job on the Letterman show, sounded a bit australian though esp in the beginning.
Well done.
Posted by: carol | September 26, 2009 at 10:50 AM
Well,...as one New Zealander said "excruciating..." and there were far too many moments where I had to agree given the disrespect shown by Letterman who is normally a nice guy.
But as a New Zealander who has lived abroad for 10 years, I'm proud that our Prime Minister showed how we are humble and easygoing, can have a laugh, try to understand and enjoy other cultures, and welcome visitors to our country.
Its just a shame Letterman didn't talk about the best reasons to go to New Zealand, such as, whereelse would the Mountain you are snowboarding on blow up as a volcano half way through your run!
Where else would bungi-jumping have been invented?
and, these days,...where else can you go swimming and surfing on Beautiful Beacherss,...without having to worry about nuclear power plants and horrendous pollution only a few miles away,...
or the snakes, crocodiles and more found in Australia and much of the rest of the world.
Posted by: Katie | September 29, 2009 at 10:09 PM
We are all humanbin let us show love to one another.
Posted by: Melly | February 14, 2011 at 01:29 PM
I love New Zealand. Spent two weeks there six years ago.
Would anyone like to buy me a plane ticket so I can return and spend $10,000.00 there?
Posted by: NZPhile | February 14, 2011 at 07:49 PM