Giant Axolotl and Rooster Descend on Whakatāne, Urge Locals to Vote in This Year's Election

Residents were left stunned yesterday after reports emerged of a giant axolotl and an enormous rooster roaming the streets of Whakatāne, approaching unsuspecting members of the public and urging them to prepare for the upcoming election.

Eyewitnesses initially feared an escaped zoo exhibit, an elaborate social media stunt, or possibly the beginning of a very low-budget alien invasion.

Radio 1XX investigated the unusual sightings and discovered the mysterious creatures were actually a mother-and-daughter team on a mission to boost voter enrolment.

The rooster was revealed to be Angela Alexander, a doctor of audiology, who decided that a more creative approach was needed to encourage the community to vote this year.

"We decided that we wanted to volunteer for the Electoral Commission, and as I looked on the website, it was a little bit hard to find the information," Alexander explained.

After considering how she could help, inspiration struck.

"Then I decided, let's just be crazy. Let's put the enrol.nz QR code on a piece of paper, wear some blow-up costumes, and go into town and see how many people we can get registered to vote, and just check their details to make sure they're ready to go and ready to vote in the November election."

Mother-and-daughter due, Angela Alexander and Izzy were are on a mission to boost voter enrolment.

Her daughter, Izzy, joined the mission, sporting an inflatable axolotl costume while helping hand out treats and encouraging people to stop and scan the QR code.

The pair spent the day helping passersby check their enrolment details and prepare for voting later this year.

Asked what motivates her passion for the democratic process, Alexander said New Zealand’s electoral system is something worth protecting.

"I think that not all countries have free and fair elections, but New Zealand does," she said.

She also expressed concern that some people may become disengaged from the political process.

"I'm a little bit worried that some people will try to tell you that your vote doesn't matter or that all of the parties are the same, but I want to do my part to make sure that as many New Zealanders as possible will be voting in November."

The rainy weather didn't spot this duo from showing off the latest fashion of blow-up animal costumes.

The costumes themselves were the result of a spontaneous online shopping session.

"I jumped online, and I found a big blow-up orange jumpsuit because I thought if I could look like the Vote NZ guy, maybe people would be interested, and maybe I could get a few people signed up."

The original inflatable orange suit hadn't arrived yet, leading Alexander to expand her vision.

"While I was online, I was like, actually, this could be a killer idea, so I put a couple more in my cart, and next minute I've got a rooster and my daughter is riding around in an axolotl blow-up costume."

To further encourage participation, the duo came prepared with plenty of rewards for anyone willing to stop and chat.

"Candy!" Alexander said when asked what they were giving away.

As of publication, the giant rooster and giant axolotl are no longer at large in Whakatāne, having achieved their mission — at least until the next election.