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Kiwis are being asked for name suggestions for the new "Mr Whippy"-style vaccine bus service...
Kiwis are being asked for name suggestions for the new "Mr Whippy"-style vaccine bus service starting in Auckland, announced by the Prime Minister today. Photos: NZ Herald
Vaxi Taxi. Jabbin' Wagon. Jabba Waka. Jabba Dabba Doo.

These are just some of many name suggestions for the new "Mr Whippy"-style vaccine bus service, after the Prime Minister put the call out for ideas.

The service is being rolled out this week and Jacinda Ardern asked the public to come up with a name, as long as it isn't "Bussy McBus Face".

Across the Tasman, a similar vaccine rollout has seen the buses called "Jabba The Bus", a riff on the name Jabba the Hutt, from the Star Wars movie franchise.

But Ardern suggested Kiwis could do better, asking the public to suggest name ideas.

"I'll leave it in the hands of creative New Zealanders. I know when you've seen challenges like this put out, you see enormous amounts of creativity."

"But I think 'Bussy McBusface' is probably already a given. Let's rule out 'Bussy McBusface' right from the beginning," she said on Tuesday.

"Vaxi Taxi" and "Jabba Waka" seem to be the two most popular name suggestions.

Eight-year-old Kabir's name suggestion was "Vaccinda" named after the Prime Minister herself.

Many New Zealanders have used movies for inspiration from Star Wars to The Terminator.

"The Vaccinator" or "The Covinator" were two suggestions.

The "Jabba Waka" was also suggested by a person after Lewis Carroll's poem Jabberwocky.

From Thursday, six buses will visit a number of Auckland communities that have low vaccination rates or have access issues to current centres.

"The initial plan is to take them into areas where we know vaccination numbers have been low, or people have not been able to access those vaccination services as easily," Ardern said.

Comments

Definitely Jabba Dabba Doo.