New Zealand has launched a tourism campaign exploring a question that has bothered the country for years: why is it frequently left off world maps?

A tongue-in-cheek clip shows PM Jacinda Ardern and comedian Rhys Darby exploring why the nation keeps getting wiped off maps.

"We're a bit of a fiddly looking shaped country, a bit like a half-eaten lamb chop," Darby tells Ms Ardern in the video.

"Perhaps people are just leaving us off, thinking we're a mistake?"

Image: A world map, minus New Zealand

He adds that the conspiracy is "bigger than the moon landing and the Loch Ness combined".


Darby surmises that Australia wants to steal their tourists, England plans to get rid of the All Blacks rugby team and the French are jealous of the Kiwi wine industry.

New Zealand has been left off maps including at The Smithsonian Natural History Museum, Central Park Zoo, Starbucks and Ikea.

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 #getNZonthemaphttps://t.co/Fj9YoB2mXO — Rhys Darby (@rhysiedarby) May 2, 2018

In the video, which is accompanied by the hashtag #getnzonthemap, Darby explores the notion that there's a "big conspiracy going on" to obscure the island nation.

The nation is home to 4.7 million people and is located in the south west Pacific ocean, around 2,000km from Sydney.

A reddit thread dedicated to recording incidents where New Zealand is left off global maps has nearly 30,000 subscribers.