A New Zealand copywriter brought a professional clown as his support person to his redundancy meeting, local media reported on Friday.

The copywriter, Josh Thompson, worked for FCB New Zealand, an advertising agency.

When he received an email saying "bad news, we're having a meeting to discuss your role", Mr Thompson decided to hire a clown to "spice up the meeting", he told Magic Talk Radio.

The New Zealand Herald reported that the clown made balloon animals, including a poodle and a unicorn, during the meeting, and mimed crying when redundancy paperwork was handed over.

Mr Thompson said he paid NZ$200 (£102) for the clown's services, and added that it was important he have a professional with him given the situation.

A support person in New Zealand can be a member of their union, a lawyer, friend, family member, or colleague. Employment New Zealand states the purpose of a support person is to give "support, help with understanding of the issues and take notes so that the employee can focus on the meeting".

However, Mr Thompson told Magic Talk Radio: "It was rather noisy him making balloon animals so we had to tell him to be quiet from time to time."

Despite that, the copywriters said his bosses "could see the humorous side of it".