Pop superstar Taylor Swift has welcomed in the New Year by releasing the music video for her newest single 'Out of the Woods', which was filmed in New Zealand.
Swift made headlines in November with her surprise visit, skipping out on the American Music Awards and prompting a mass breakdown of New Zealand media as everyone sought to verify the rumours.
But not everyone was pleased to see the superstar. Swift drew the ire of Auckland's Bethells Beach residents when her crew allegedly breached their permit conditions while filming the video, damaging the natural habitat of the endangered dotterel.
Chairwoman for the Waitakere Ranges Local Board Sandra Coney said on Facebook, Swift's team broke the terms of their filming permit when they brought around a dozen vehicles onto the beach instead of the two they were allowed.
"We are trying to minimise vehicles on beaches for good reasons but at Bethells there are baby dotterels. We have developed a dotterel management plan as there is a heap of filming out there, and we welcome it as economic activity that should leave no footprint, but Taylor's lot did not respect the environment or the conditions of their consent."
Swift premiered the video for 'Out of the Woods' at New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest in New York's Times Square.
Directed by Joseph Khan, the video features scenes from a variety of New Zealand locations including Auckland and Queenstown.
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