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‘Within your wildest dreams’: new tourism campaign launches in Australia

A new tourism marketing campaign launches in Australia this week to build demand for travel to New Zealand, as we prepare to open borders to our first international visitors.

“We are rolling out the green and gold carpet to our vaccinated trans-Tasman cousins,” said Tourism Minister Stuart Nash.

“Australians will be the first to fly, from 11.59pm on 12 April. They will be joined by vaccinated visa-waiver travellers from key northern hemisphere markets like the USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Korea and Singapore, from 11.59pm on 1 May.

“Apart from three months of quarantine-free travel in 2021 when around 160,000 Australians came here, we have missed our Aussie visitors. We cannot wait to have our mates back. Bringing forward the date will accelerate our economic recovery.

“Tourism New Zealand has been working hard over the past two years to keep ‘Brand New Zealand’ alive in the minds of international travellers. With borders now re-opening TNZ’s activity becomes focussed on converting holiday dreams into actual bookings.

“Australian travellers are the immediate focus given the ease of travel on the short-haul route. Their school holidays and Easter-ANZAC break in April are popular times to make the short hop across the Tasman.

“The new Tourism New Zealand campaign seeks to persuade Australians that our unique landscapes, hospitality and the friendliness of Kiwis are now ‘within your wildest dreams.’

“The campaign highlights some of the most popular experiences sought out by Australian visitors, such as fine dining, jet boating, cycling through vineyards and even star gazing in a hot tub in internationally-renowned dark sky reserves.

“We also have our ski season getting underway from June. Historically, 71 per cent of all international tourists who came to ski were Australians, who generated more than $211 million in winter spending.

“The industry knows there is a rebuild ahead. International travel will be very competitive and airlines will take time to build up their schedules and routes. Even some of the world’s largest tourism operators, such as Heathrow airport, are predicting a five year rebuild.

“The initial bookings from international tourists will be measured. In the first few months we expect people will travel mainly to connect with friends or family, before travel picks up for winter holidays, ski tourism, and ultimately our peak summer season in 2022/23.

“Our investment and partnership with the sector will continue. Tourism New Zealand has also spent the past two years targeting trade shows, and has trained 80,000 international travel agents who connect foreign travellers with New Zealand destinations and operators.

“Tourism New Zealand will keep a strong focus on domestic tourism. It had solid results with the ‘Do Something New, NZ’ campaign which encouraged Kiwis to see more of their own backyard. A new domestic campaign will launch in Autumn.

“We will also keep rolling out direct investment from our two Tourism support packages worth $600 million in targeted spending. Further details are due shortly.

“We aspire to have the 100% Pure New Zealand brand in the top three most desirable tourism brands for high-quality travellers. Tourism New Zealand is now converting that aspiration into action,” said Stuart Nash.

Tourism NZ launches 'wildest dreams' campaign to attract Australian tourists back

Watch the 'New Zealand, within your wildest dreams' ad. Credits: Tourism New Zealand

The same day the Government announced an earlier-than-expected phased border reopening for tourists, ads have been launched hoping to quickly get Australians across the Tasman Sea for a holiday.

Tourism New Zealand launched a 'New Zealand, within your wildest dreams' campaign which is said to "highlight some of the most popular experiences sought out by Australian visitors".

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on Wednesday announced that as the COVID-19 pandemic wanes and Omicron surges in the New Zealand community, vaccinated Australian tourists will be allowed in from April 13 without the need to self-isolate.

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In a release to media, Tourism Minister Stuart Nash said New Zealand has "missed our Aussie visitors... we cannot wait to have our mates back."

Tourism NZ certainly couldn't wait to invite them back and launched the campaign immediately.

"Are you dreaming of having a glass of wine with a friendly local, a jet boat ride over a glacial lake, admiring a glowworm cave or soaking in a hot tub under the stars?" a caption for the ad says.

"Well, it sounds like you're dreaming of New Zealand. A beautiful place filled with wonderful people and best of all, it's not that far away."

Nash says the ad campaign "seeks to persuade Australians that our unique landscapes, hospitality and the friendliness of Kiwis are now 'within your wildest dreams'."

"With borders now re-opening Tourism NZ's activity becomes focussed on converting holiday dreams into actual bookings," said Nash.

"Australian travellers are the immediate focus given the ease of travel on the short-haul route. Their school holidays and Easter-ANZAC break in April are popular times to make the short hop across the Tasman."

Following the welcoming back of Australian tourists, vaccinated travellers from other visa-waiver countries can return from May 2.

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Ad of the Day: Tourism New Zealand welcomes Aussies in hilarious dream adventure

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By Imogen Watson | Senior reporter

May 10, 2021 | 4 min read

Listen to article 4 min

While New Zealand and Australia have shut themselves off to the rest of the world, back in April it announced plans for a ‘Trans-Tasman bubble’ between the two countries. And so, to encourage movement on this quarantine-free travel route, respective tourist boards got to work.

Australians are invited to stop dreaming of New Zealand and instead go

Exploring the idea that Australians have been dreaming of going to Aotearoa, Tourism New Zealand has devised a hilarious ad created in partnership with the Special Group.

‘Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go’ stars ‘an Australian friend’ longing to visit New Zealand as he slumbers. Out pops a dream buddy New Zealander, who gently whispers ‘Kia Ora’ (a Maori greeting) to ‘wake up’ the dreamer, before they embark on a dream trip to his country.

Zooming through various tourist destinations, since the traveller is dreaming the trip follows a weird and unusual narrative. Granted a ‘dream beard’, the dreamer sits and eats fresh crayfish in a room full of versions of himself alongside New Zealander Di, who is with another Australian on their crayfish dream.

Suddenly the dreamer is pedalling through vineyards, before speedboating through a spectacular landscape that turns out to be a hot tub that the men relax in, placed next to a giant ‘dream kiwi’.

“‘Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go’ aims to spark the emotional longing in Australians to experience a unique and meaningful New Zealand holiday,” explains Declan Malone, marketing lead for Australia for Tourism New Zealand.

“We know travelling overseas is one of the most missed activities for Australians, who previously made up 40% of international arrivals to New Zealand. We wanted to remind our friends over in Australia that New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes, wide-open spaces and welcoming people are only a short flight away.”

The spot follows the ‘Be the First’ campaign, launched by Tourism Australia back in April. Similarly, ‘Welcome Back New Zealand’ relies on humor to encourage New Zealanders to visit its country.

Both countries have been success stories of this pandemic, thanks to their decision to shut off access to the rest of the world. However, this has dented both travel industries.

In January, it was reported that Australia was set to lose $7bn, placing 320,000 jobs at risk . And, before the pandemic, tourism constituted a significant part of New Zealand’s economy, employing 230,000 people and contributing $30.2bn to economic output. So while tourism to the rest of the world will undoubtedly be cut off for a long time, the tourist boards in each country are keen to get things moving again.

You can watch ‘Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go’ in full above. To get in touch about Ad of the Day, please email [email protected] .

Tourism New Zealand: Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go by Special Group

By tourism new zealand, overall rating 5/5, more from creative, industry insights.

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Home » New Zealand Mocks Influencers In Hilarious Tourism Ad

New Zealand Mocks Influencers In Hilarious Tourism Ad

The ‘Do Something New’ campaign by 100% Pure New Zealand is urging people to “think outside the square”.

The new ad features comedian Tom Sainsbury as leader of an ‘S.O.S’ – aka a ‘social observation squad’. Sainsbury lists the most overdone snapshots that tourists recreate, with the “hot tub backshot”, “hot dog legs” and “man [sitting] quietly on the rock contemplating” chief among them.

He also bemoans the “summit spread eagle”, a “classic in these parts”. After interrupting two culprits of the spread eagle, Sainsbury tells them that this summer, they are “clamping down on anyone travelling under the social influence”.

Later, he runs through a lavender field hunting for influencers, only to find that the “lavender loiterers” have managed to escape.

The cheeky stab at influencer culture is part of New Zealand’s push to encourage domestic tourism amidst COVID-19 border closures. Australia has just shut the border to New Zealand for 72 hours after two people tested positive for the highly-contagious South African strain of the virus.

According to TIA (Tourism Industry Aotearoa), before the pandemic New Zealand’s domestic tourism expenditure was $24.4 billion (NZD). In contrast, expenditure on international tourism was $17.5 billion.

The country has a history of tongue-in-cheek tourism campaigns. In 2018, they launched #GetNZOnTheMap which saw comedian Rhys Darby and Prime Minister Jacinda Arden work together to solve the conspiracy of why New Zealand was being left off world maps. In the ad, Darby concludes that maybe the reason why NEW Zealand keeps getting ignored is because it looks like a “half-eaten lamb chop”.

In the new campaign, Tom Sainsbury reminds tourists that “there are so many great other photos to take beside your usual gram shots”.

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Tourism NZ's first major campaign since the trans-Tasman bubble

Tourism New Zealand has launched its first major campaign since quarantine-free travel opened between Australia and New Zealand.

The campaign, titled Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go, was created in partnership with Special Group, and aims to encourage Australians to seize the opportunity to travel to New Zealand.

Tourism New Zealand marketing lead - Australia, Declan Malone, says Stop Dreaming about New Zealand and Go aims to spark the emotional longing in Australians to experience a unique and meaningful New Zealand holiday.

“We know travelling overseas is one of the most missed activities for Australians, who previously made up 40% of international arrivals to New Zealand,' Malone says.

"We wanted to remind our friends over in Australia that New Zealand’s beautiful landscapes, wide open spaces, and welcoming people are only a short flight away.”

Highlighting both the welcoming people and stunning landscapes of New Zealand, the campaign is centred around a dreaming Australian and a New Zealand guide as they experience a literal ‘dream’ holiday in New Zealand.

Throughout the dream, the pair take part in a range of experiences, such as fine dining, jet boating, cycling through a vineyard, and star gazing in a hot tub.

“After being confined to Australia for over a year, Australians everywhere have been dreaming of quarantine free travel, and New Zealand is now ready and waiting,” Special Group Australia chief creative officer and partner Tom Martin says.

“We wanted to create the New Zealand version of that dream, filled with the tone and down-to-earth charm that Kiwis are famous for.”

The campaign will launch in Australia on 6 May and run for 12 weeks across all major channels including cinema, TV, on-demand, OLV, social, radio, digital audio, digital display, and will be supported by PR and trade activity. Credits Tourism New Zealand General Manager (Australia) - Andrew Waddel Marketing Manager (Australia) - Declan Malone Campaign Manager(Australia) - Lauren Kerr Global Brand & Content Manager - Jill Chestnut Brand & Content Manager - Jaime Reid Senior PR Executive (Australia) - Emma Reyes Special Group Australia CCO/Partner: Tom Martin CCO/Partner: Julian Schreiber CEO/Founding Partner: Lindsey Evans Founding Partner: Cade Heyde Creative: Wayne Ching Creative: Alex Antoniou Business Director: Rebecca Grant Business Manager: Meri Stewart Strategy Director: Anna Bollinger Strategist: Kellie Box Executive Producer: Paul Johnston/ Bill Doig Special Group New Zealand CEO/CCO: Tony Bradbourne Head of Strategy: Rory Gallery Creative: Tom Johnson Integrated Producer: Sally Lankshear Production Production Company - Finch Director - The Bobbsey Twins Cinematographer -Ginny Loane NZCS Managing Director - Corey Esse Executive Producer - Loren Bradley Producer - Sarah Cook Edit House -Arc Edit Editor - Jack Hutchings Post Producer - Adriana Arriaga Post Production - Blockhead Colorist - Dave Gibson Online Operator - Richard Betts Animator -Blockhead VFX Supervisor - Stefan Coory PR Eleven

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• Destinations
• New Zealand

New Zealand tourism ad takes cheeky swipe at Australia

KIWI Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Rhys Darby have taken a swipe at Australia with a cheeky advertisement claiming a global conspiracy.

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KIWI Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and comedian Rhys Darby have joined forces to take a cheeky swipe at Australia in the country’s latest tourism campaign.

The #getNZonthemap campaign features Mr Darby, best known for playing hapless diplomat Murray, in Flight of the Conchords , as a journalist who gets delivered a “scoop”.

He quickly phones up the Prime Minister “Cindy” to warn her of the “next great conspiracy”.

“New Zealand is being left off world maps ... all over the world!”

Pasting examples from Ikea, Starbucks, the Smithsonian and BBC around the office he asks: “New Zealand, where the bloody hell are ya?” in reference to the famous Australian tourism campaign that made Lara Bingle a star.

“Australia ... they’re stealing our tourists,” he said, while blaming France and the UK as well for wanting the competition eliminated when it comes to wine and rugby.

But Mr Darby also admits it could be that the “fiddly-looking shaped country, a bit like a half-eaten lamb chop” could be simply overlooked.

“I can be there in three movies and a meal,” he tells Ms Ardern when it comes to fixing the matter, as she takes a call from an office in London.

Ms Ardern posted the video on her social media channels, saying: “Admit it. You’ve noticed the absence of New Zealand on world maps before too. Some call it a conspiracy some call it negligent ... either way it’s time for a wee campaign,” she wrote.

Mr Darby said: “Fellow humans, there’s a big conspiracy going down! We need to prove that New Zealand is missing from world maps so I can update New Zealand’s fearless leader @jacindaardern. Help us #getNZonthemap.”

The conspiracy goes deeper than we thought #getNZonthemap @jamespeshaw #nzqt pic.twitter.com/0QD6UzEZGI — Green Party NZ (@NZGreens) May 3, 2018

#getNZonthemap found this one in St Tropez... we are there but we are one island. No Cook Strait! #eyeroll Not good enough! pic.twitter.com/GBsqKO3ZYd — Sally-ann Moffat (@SallyannMoffat) May 2, 2018

Maaaate, NZ Govt website circa 2015ish . . . #getNZonthemap pic.twitter.com/mDbDb2mgpw — Megan (@Megan_C_W) May 3, 2018

NZ may be missing from this sculpture in Geneva, but at #NPT2018 we’re making sure NZ’s voice is heard on nuclear #disarmament and #nonproliferation . #getNZonthemap pic.twitter.com/XqIsCQyLea — New Zealand Embassy Vienna (@NZinVienna) May 3, 2018

New Zealand has long been forgotten on global maps, with the government in on the joke, featuring a New Zealand-free world map on its “404 — Page not found” page on its website.

Two British backpackers are sharing their experience working for a farmer that ended after just one day.

A tourist was shocked to see what was unfolding before his eyes at a NZ cinema — and he had many questions about it.

He may only be small, but this unhappy little penguin stopped a plane from taking off at one of New Zealand’s main airports.

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Acknowledgement of Country

We acknowledge the Traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Owners of the land, sea and waters of the Australian continent, and recognise their custodianship of culture and Country for over 60,000 years.

*Disclaimer:  The information on this website is presented in good faith and on the basis that Tourism Australia, nor their agents or employees, are liable (whether by reason of error, omission, negligence, lack of care or otherwise) to any person for any damage or loss whatsoever which has occurred or may occur in relation to that person taking or not taking (as the case may be) action in respect of any statement, information or advice given in this website. Tourism Australia wishes to advise people of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent that this website may contain images of persons now deceased.

Travel Advertising News

Taika waititi definitely (maybe) stars in new zealand travel ad, the oscar-winning actor-writer-director-producer hypes his native country in meta short film.

Inspiration meets innovation at Brandweek , the ultimate marketing experience. Join industry luminaries, rising talent and strategic experts in Phoenix, Arizona this September 23–26 to assess challenges, develop solutions and create new pathways for growth. Register early to save .

Filmmaker and actor Taika Waititi’s schedule is overflowing these days, with highlights that include walking in his first New York Fashion Week show for Hermès, popping into the MTV Video Music Awards and stumping for his soccer-themed flick Next Goal Wins on the film festival circuit. 

The long-gestating Star Wars film he’s supposed to write? That might still be happening. In the meantime, he’s become the chief creative officer for a namesake line of adaptogen-based beverages.

In short, Waititi is a very busy man. So if an ad shoot slips his mind, he can be forgiven. Or can he?

Waititi, clearly burning the candle at both ends, begs off his spokesman duties and sends his stunt double as a replacement to star in a travel campaign for his native New Zealand. The director, Jackie van Beek, is none too pleased.

Viewers, on the other hand, are in for a meta-infused treat—the setup has spawned a delightful long-form commercial for Tourism New Zealand , with a timely Blackbeard cameo and self-referential lines like these:

“I just can’t help right now,” Waititi says during an urgent phone call from van Beek. “I’m shooting season two of the hit show ‘Our Flag Means Death,’ and I just can’t let the fans down.”

Post-pandemic push

“No Place Like It On Earth,” “definitely starring Taika Waititi” per the cheeky credits, drops as the country tries to rebound from Covid-era declines in its international tourism.

Prior to 2020’s lockdown and New Zealand’s border closings, international tourism accounted for about 5.5% of gross domestic product, per BBC News. Overseas guests topped 528,000 in 2019, a number that fell to 178,426 in June 2023, according to Statista.

“Competition for visitors is fierce, and New Zealand needs to work hard to encourage visitation and stand out,” said René de Monchy, chief executive of the tourism board.

“No Place Like It On Earth,” from agency Augusto, shows off a range of the country’s locations and experiences, including whitewater rafting in Rotorua, a scenic flight over Mount Tarawera, dolphin watching in Kaikōra and wine tasting in Auckland.

‘New Zealand needs you ‘

The 3 1/2-minute film also features Waititi’s enthusiastic narration and pre-planned flubs in the production, like unusable shots of stand-in Jade Daniels’ face. “This was a horrible idea,” van Beek says in the video. She eventually lures Waititi into the commercial with the plea: “I need you—New Zealand needs you.”

When he does appear in the ad, Waititi gives van Beek unsolicited tips on how to direct.

“There’s nothing I enjoy more than pretending to be myself bickering with Taika over what makes a good director,” van Beek said in a statement.

Emotional Airline Ad Follows an Iguana’s Skyward Journey

In the cleverly contrived scenario and elsewhere, Waititi continues as a tireless supporter of the home country where he filmed Our Flag Means Death and other projects. 

“I always tell people you can go surfing in the morning and then drive a couple of hours and be skiing in the evening,” Waititi said in a statement. “I don’t think there’s anywhere else on earth where you can do that—it has everything.”

“No Place Like It On Earth” will get distribution on HBO’s Max streaming platform and social channels in the U.S., Australia, Germany, the U.K. and parts of Asia.

CREDITS:   

Client – Tourism New Zealand  Agency – Augusto  Writer and Director – Jackie van Beek  Stills – Graeme Murray  Post Production – Augusto  Sound – Bespoke Post

T.L. Stanley

• @TLStanleyLA
• [email protected]

T.L. Stanley is a senior editor at Adweek, where she specializes in consumer trends, cannabis marketing, plant-based food products, pop culture and creativity.

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Tuesday, September 20, 2022

TNZ marketing platform drives domestic boost for NZ tourism operators

Central Otago Rail Trail, Central Otago

By Miles Holden

Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) is looking at expanding its new digital marketing program into the Australian market to drive revenue for operators, following the success of the platform in New Zealand.

The program, which launched while international borders were closed, provided a new way for tourism operators to reach New Zealand consumers, resulting in over $7 million in bookings for 69 participating tourism businesses.

“Tourism New Zealand is committed to supporting recovery and the industry and this project has been successful in driving a significant increase in bookings during a time where industry needed it most,” says René de Monchy, Tourism New Zealand’s Chief Executive.

Tourism New Zealand partnered with Australian agency The Pistol and Meta (Facebook) to create the platform.

People who research tourism experiences on the newzealand.com website then receive dynamically-personalised Facebook ads highlighting relevant tourism offerings. These drive them directly to operators’ own sites to book.

The platform gives operators access to a dashboard so they can track performance in real-time, including how much traffic Tourism New Zealand is driving to their site and how many purchases it is generating.

Since the initial trial began in May 2020, the platform has achieved over 5,000 conversions, driving as much as $19 in revenue for every dollar of ad spend.

Tourism New Zealand is investigating when the platform will be available to new participating operators now that the borders are open.

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In New Zealand, Experiencing the Miracle of Flight Anew

The country's domestic airlines play a crucial role in connectivity. But for the casual flier, even the journey is captivating.

By Natasha Frost

The Australia Letter is a weekly newsletter from our Australia bureau. Sign up to get it by email. This week’s issue is written by Natasha Frost, a reporter based in Melbourne.

The other week, approximately 32 years into my career as a seasoned flier, I experienced air travel as if for the very first time — the flight of angels, of billionaires, of dreams. (It was still in coach class.)

On a recent reporting trip in New Zealand, I arranged to spend the weekend visiting an old friend who now lives near Havelock, a town of around 600 people at the top of the country’s South Island, about 50 miles due west of Wellington, where I was traveling from.

With the Cook Strait between New Zealand’s North and South Islands in the way, the easiest option was to take a domestic flight — one of hundreds that zip across the country every day.

Flying domestically in New Zealand is only marginally more rigorous than boarding a bus. If you don’t have baggage to check in, you may walk through the airport doors half an hour before your flight departs. No one will check your ID at any point, and you don’t even need to show your boarding pass to pass through security, which usually takes a minute or two, with no limits on liquids. In some smaller airports, there is no security at all.

To get to Havelock, I booked a seat on a flight run not by Air New Zealand, the national airline, but by Sounds Air, one of the country’s far smaller “regional carriers,” of which there are around half a dozen.

Departing Sounds Air from Wellington, you bypass security screenings altogether. Your ticket to ride is little more than a reusable piece of green laminated paper that reads “Boarding Pass to Blenheim.” Checking in a bag? They sling it into the back of the nine-seat plane. And don’t bother going to the carousel on arrival. It’ll be handed to you as you get off.

The lack of rigmarole is entirely intentional, with some frequent fliers purchasing 10-trip tickets for regular hops across the strait, said Andrew Crawford, the airline’s chief executive.

“That is our point of difference,” he said. “This is what people like.”

The airline was founded in 1986, with a single nine-seater Cessna Caravan ferrying people to the Marlborough Sounds. It now has 10 planes — the largest of their crafts seats 12 — and carries about 120,000 people a year, mostly on routes where there is no alternative, other than the road.

Some passengers are commuters. Others are tourists. And then there are those who live in rural areas and require specialist medical attention in larger cities. “If you’re going for cancer treatment or day surgery, stuff like that,” he said. “That’s a big part of our business.”

These small airlines play a crucial role in helping New Zealanders get around a country that has an extremely limited rail network, and where many people live far from essential services.

But it was the flight itself that captivated me.

Under normal circumstances, elbow-to-elbow with strangers, the majesty of flying is somewhat displaced by the discomfort of being inside a pressurized metal tube, and you easily forget that you are thousands of feet in the air. (Some people prefer to forget that.)

But at roughly 6,500 feet, low and slow enough to see wind turbines and craggy hills unfold before us, as if flying in a dream, the miracle of flight seemed uncommonly … miraculous.

The wind whistled past the cabin, and I could see into the cockpit, over the shoulder of the solo pilot and out the windscreen. As we came into land through the vineyards that the region is known for, the grapes were almost visible on the vine. It wasn’t hard to imagine myself as some early aviatrix, and I struggled to keep a grin off my face.

All in all, I told my waiting host, it was an experience exactly halfway between riding in a minivan and traveling on a private jet.

Here are the week’s stories.

Australia and New Zealand

Australia Wanted to Catch Chinese Spies. Is This Really Whom It Had in Mind? The first case tried under Australia’s foreign interference laws has raised tough questions about the breadth of the regulations.

A Museum’s Feminist Artwork Excluded Men. So One Man Took It to Court. Gender-based discrimination is central to the women-only art installation, in Australia, but one visitor claims it is also illegal.

Two Aboriginal Artists Urge Viewers to See the Universe Differently. Naminapu Maymuru-White and Daniel Boyd grew up hundreds of miles and a generation apart. Yet they share a goal: reframing the way we see the universe.

A Reporter With a Fear of Snakes Joins a Snake Catcher. To write about the increase in snake encounters in Australia, a journalist had to get hands-on with the slithering reptiles.

Around the Times

What Deathbed Visions Teach Us About Living. Researchers are documenting a phenomenon that seems to help the dying, as well as those they leave behind.

A ‘Perfect Monolith’ Appears in Wales. A resident said he discovered the shiny, silver object on a prominent hill during his daily walk.

Piety and Profanity: The Raunchy Christians Are Here. In the Trump era, a surprising number of evangelicals are rejecting modesty and turning toward the risqué.

22 of the Funniest Novels Since ‘Catch-22.’ Because we could all use a laugh.

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Natasha Frost writes The Times’s weekday newsletter The Europe Morning Briefing and reports on Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific. She is based in Melbourne, Australia. More about Natasha Frost

New Zealand tourists charged with attacking a Thai police officer in Phuket

Two New Zealand tourists have been detained in a Thai prison after being accused of assaulting a police officer, authorities say.

Investigations are ongoing after brothers Hamish Art Day, 36, and Oscar Matson Day, 34, allegedly attacked an officer and attempted to steal his firearm in Phuket, Thai police said in a statement.

Police officer Somsak Noo-iad had stopped the two men for reckless driving before they allegedly assaulted him as he tried to take photos and evidence.

The brothers then allegedly snatched the officer's phone and firearm, the statement said.

A photograph released by police on Sunday local time showed a man pushing a traffic policeman to the ground while another man looked on.

Their visas will be revoked and they will be banned from entering Thailand again after the investigation concludes, the police statement added. 

Thai outlet the  Bangkok Post reported the two men have been charged with robbery, obstruction of police duty, physical attack against a policeman, driving without a licence and bribery.

The two men and their lawyer could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters.

The parents of the brothers called for calm and privacy amid the incident. 

"It's very, very concerning," father Laurence Day told the  New Zealand Herald.

"The family is distraught. We're praying for a good outcome."

New Zealand media outlet  RNZ reported a spokesperson from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said consular officials were "providing assistance to the family of two New Zealanders who have been arrested in Thailand".

Reuters/ABC 

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