Pūteketeke wins Bird of the Century — with help from John Oliver’s Manitowoc billboard

Alisa M. Schafer, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter
·2 min read
An image of the billboard captured during the Nov. 5 episode of "Last Week Tonight" with host John Oliver.
An image of the billboard captured during the Nov. 5 episode of "Last Week Tonight" with host John Oliver.
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MANITOWOC — John Oliver's campaign, including posting a billboard in Manitowoc, paid off for the pūteketeke in the New Zealand Bird of the Century contest.

Forest & Bird, the New Zealand contest organizers, announced the bird's win Nov. 14.

"After a two-week battle of the birds that will go down in history, the pūteketeke now wears the coveted Bird of the Century crown atop its burnt-orange mullet," a news release from Forest & Bird stated.

According to the release, the pūteketeke received 290,374 votes, despite being a contender for the last two weeks of the contest. The North Island brown kiwi came in second with 12,904 votes.

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The news release from the organization said they received more than 350,000 votes from 195 countries. The previous record was 56,733 votes in 2021.

Oliver announced his campaign for the strange bird in the New Zealand Bird of the Century contest during Nov. 5 episode of Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO.

His campaign consisted of a number of advertisements in busy metropolises — like Paris and London. He also posted a billboard in Manitowoc, his only advertisement in the United States.

The billboard was placed facing west on the side of the building at 1004 Washington St., near the intersection of Washington and South 10th streets. The building is home to Golden Ring Music & Folklore Center and vāp.

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He then appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Nov. 8 where the pair talked about the bird contest and Oliver's campaign to have it named Bird of the Century in New Zealand.

"It is American money undermining a foreign election. What is more to be proud of than that?" he said to Fallon's audience.

Oliver then gave an update on the campaign on his show during the Nov. 12 episode.

A screenshot from the Nov. 8 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shows John Oliver dressed in a pūteketeke costume talking with Fallon about the advertisements Oliver created in cities around the globe, including Manitowoc.
A screenshot from the Nov. 8 episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon shows John Oliver dressed in a pūteketeke costume talking with Fallon about the advertisements Oliver created in cities around the globe, including Manitowoc.

Oliver's attention on Manitowoc is the latest in a series of eastern Wisconsin mentions during late night shows. Sheboygan was referenced during The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on Oct. 16 and again on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Oct. 25.

Alisa M. Schafer is a reporter for the Herald Times Reporter in Manitowoc. She can be reached by email at aschafer@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter: Manitowoc billboard for pūteketeke pays off in Bird of the Century win