High-profile New Zealanders and brands have taken to social media to share doctored images of the star as part of the rising trend.
Yesterday, the official All Blacks social media account shared fake images of Bieber in front of the Bledisloe Cup.
Meanwhile, Invercargill City Council and Rotorua Lakes Council shared images of Bieber enjoying himself at several Kiwi landmarks like the Government Gardens.
“We’ve been sent these photos. Not sure how legit they are, but we wouldn’t be surprised if he was here.
“Please respect his privacy. He’s probably just trying to enjoy a cheese roll in peace,” Invercargill City Council joked on Facebook.
Rotorua Lakes Council took to the AI Bieber trend.
Kiwi pie reviewer and influencer Petrie Apostolakis (known online as Kosmos) also shared an image beside the Believe hitmaker.
“Was good to meet you bro. Glad you made it over to New Zealand! Was hard keeping this one a secret!
“Haters will say it’s AI,” Apostolakis said.
Tea and drink franchise Gong Cha also hopped on the social media joke, sharing photos of the pop and R&B singer enjoying a beverage.
Bieber seemingly made it to yet another landmark, with Taupō McDonald’s sharing a fake selfie-style photo of Bieber in front of the famous plane.
Taupo McDonald’s even shared a selfie-style photo of Bieber in front of the famous plane.
Broke Boy Taco owner Sean Yarbrough took to the trend today, leaving many fans puzzled as the photo looked real.
Yarbrough was pictured alongside Bieber in front of his food truck with piles of taco boxes in his hands.
“THANK YOU Justin Bieber was so glad I could bring the food truck for you and was great to meet you. HIT ME UP ANYTIME BRO,” Yarbrough captioned the post.
“I thought it [the trend] was pretty funny, so I was like, oh, I’ll make one too,” Yarbrough told the Herald.
This comes after Bieber shared three posts with photos of himself in New Zealand.
He was pictured at a clay bird shooting range, catching views in a helicopter, fishing, playing golf and speeding down dunes on a board.
The photos were accompanied by pictures with friends and of beaches, dunes and night skies.
Justin Bieber has posted to social media confirming he has been in New Zealand. Photo / @lilbieber
The Herald was told that on Thursday, guests at The Duke of Marlborough in the Bay of Islands were treated to a surprise concert in the main bar.
Bieber, originally from Canada, was last spotted in New Zealand in January 2025, with sightings in Queenstown and Arrowtown.
At the time, a source told the Herald Bieber was understood to be in the area to attend the wedding of Kiwi model Maia Cotton and American venture capitalist Max Feldstein.