Emmys 2024: John Oliver dedicates award to last year’s Bird of the Century, the pūteketeke

John Oliver was awarded Outstanding Scripted Variety Show at the Emmy Awards yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

Remember when John Oliver appeared on Jimmy Fallon’s couch dressed as New Zealand’s native pūteketeke? Now, he’s dedicated his Emmy win to last year’s Bird of the Century.

Last year, The Last Week Tonight with John Oliver host campaigned tirelessly for the great crested grebe to win Forest and Bird’s Bird of the Year competition, renamed Bird of the Century to celebrate 100 years.

It won with a record 290,374 votes thanks to global interference. This year, it’s been succeeded by the hoiho/yellow-eyed penguin after voting closed on September 15, but Oliver hasn’t forgotten the pūteketeke - even dedicating his Emmy win yesterday to his favourite New Zealand bird.

He was approached by Phil Keoghan, New Zealand-born host of the US version of The Amazing Race, at the ceremony yesterday. As the pair spoke on camera, Keoghan informed him of the results of this year’s Bird of the Year competition.

“Let’s recognise all New Zealand birds, but let’s be clear - there is one bird that is better than all others,” Oliver replied.

Keoghan asked if he was referring to the hoiho.

“It’s the pūteketeke, you are absolutely out of your mind. Those should not be mentioned in the same sentence,” the talk show host retorted.

Despite Keoghan’s suggestion the pūteketeke was “very last year”, Oliver refused to concede, declaring last year’s winning bird “timeless” and “majestic”.

John Oliver appears on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon dressed as a pūteketeke for the New Zealand's Bird of the Century contest. Photo / via video

“Hoiho, hoiho, off to work you go,” he said. “Pūteketeke for life.”

Picking up his Emmy Award for Outstanding Scripted Variety Show, he told Keoghan and all those watching: “It’s for the pūteketeke.”

It comes after the pūteketeke was declared Bird of the Century in November last year.

Speaking to Anna Burns-Francis on Breakfast at the time, Forest & Bird’s Nicola Toki revealed more than 700,000 people from 195 countries voted in the 2023 election, which “complicated things enormously”. Especially as one very enthusiastic person in Pennsylvania put in 3403 votes - equating to one every three seconds.

Unfortunately for that bird lover, they were disqualified.

John Oliver made an impressive campaign for the Pūteketeke last year.

On an episode of his show last year, Oliver revealed wanted his chosen bird to have “the biggest landslide in the history of the competition”, and explained to his US viewers why New Zealand was holding the election in the first place.

“This is a big deal: New Zealanders love birds,” he exclaimed. “They’re famously known as Kiwis after the kiwi bird and birds feature prominently on their currency, which is frankly much better than what US bills have on them.”

He concluded his campaign for the bird by jokingly adding: “After all, this is what democracy is all about: America interfering in foreign elections.”