Comic films a sketch about sustainable travel

Rhys Darby stars with Prince Harry in a new video promoting a sustainable travel initiative.

The comic, best known for his role as Flight Of The Conchords manager Murray Hewitt, plays a ‘rating agent’ who judges the Royal based on his impact on the environment.

Darby’s character claims the Prince dropped a sweet wrapper in New Zealand in 2018, affecting his score.

After his record is assessed, Harry – who briefly speaks Maori in the clip – scores three-and-a-half stars out of five, getting plus points for buying local honey and not keeping the tap running when cleaning his teeth.

However, there’s no mention of his real-life use of private jets, such as the two-hour trip he took home to California after playing polo in Colorado last summer.

Kiwi actors Dave Fane and Rena Owen also feature in the commercial for the new scheme called Travalyst, which will rate travellers rated for how sustainable they are while on holiday.

A Travalyst pilot has just been launched in New Zealand encouraging holidaymakers to   consider sustainable options.

In 2010, Fane hit the headlines for making appalling jokes at a roast of  advertising bosses.

He told them: ‘I want to eat you, but I won't because I don't want to get HIV. Would you roast an HIV person? You'd roast them because they're expendable, like the Jews. Hitler had a right, you know.’

Fane – who starred with Darby on the Kiwi comedy show Radiradirah – apologised for his comments saying: ‘They were dumb words said by a dumb man.’

Published: 10 May 2022