KJ Apa defends NZ in Trans-Tasman burn battle

KJ Apa, defender of New Zealand's internet pride. Photo / Youtube

KJ Apa has proudly defended his country in an epic NZ vs Aussie burn battle.

The Kiwi actor stars in the new Netflix film The Last Summer with Aussie actor Maia Mitchell, and to celebrate, the pair went head to head in our long running trans-Tasman rivalry.

The Burn Battle forces the pair to roast each other's home countries and you can bet there were some below-the-belt shots.

Maia landed the first blow with: "Why did they film Lord of the Rings in New Zealand? Because they could save more money on makeup by hiring locals to play the orcs."

But KJ later hit back with: "Why do so many Aussies wear thongs? Because shoelaces are too hard for them."

He also schooled Maia in making a proper sheep noise (not sure if that really helped our case, KJ!) and continually reiterated the fact that "New Zealand is the most beautiful country on earth".

Fans were loving the roast, taking to the Youtube comments section to cheer on the pair.

But one fan summed it up the best, saying: "Typical sibling rivalry. Australia and NZ can insult one another but if any other country tries to do the same you're gonna deal with both."

The Last Summer is on Netflix now. Check out the full Burn Battle below: