Face of the Day

A bank mascot has found itself at the centre of an unlikely fight over New Zealanders’ right to make memes.

Buck the Sheep – pictured above in a decision management may wish to discuss with us later – is Kiwibank’s green, woolly mascot, introduced in July as part of its “Bank Kiwi” campaign.

Then the internet met Buck.

Not long after the introduction, memes and increasingly bizarre posts about the sheep began appearing on social media. Some were sexualised, including people declaring that they wanted to “f...” it.

Kiwibank responded by sending copyright takedown notices over some Buck posts, resulting in posts being removed from X and Bluesky.

Stuff