New Zealand minister defends his “dead possum” hair (VIDEO)

In the United States, Donald Trump's mystifying combover is the subject of much speculation. In New Zealand, a government minister similarly mocked for having hair that resembles a “dead possum” has come out swinging at his critics.

Journalists in New Zealand have described Revenue Minister Peter Dunne’s bouffant grey hairstyle as looking like roadkill, while online commentators have compared it to the crazy hat that Princess Beatrice wore at Prince William’s recent wedding.

In a video posted on YouTube, Dunne blamed bald-headed journalists for all the attention on his hair. He joked that a recent appearance on a top current affairs TV show was awkward because the host kept staring enviously at his hair.

"What's this thing about my hair? I'm getting a bit fed up with being described as having a dead possum on top, all sorts of other things like that," he said, after starting the video by combing his hair for the camera.

"Some people who think it's untidy, it's too grey, it's too coiffured. The only thing that ever goes on this is a comb and a hairbrush," he added, waving a comb. "And I think it's really bald-headed men [behind the criticism]."

Dunne is the leader of the United Future Party, a minority partner in New Zealand’s conservative coalition government.

“Peter's hair is almost as riveting as Princess Beatrice's fascinator!” wrote one commentator on YouTube.

In the U.S., Trump's strange hairdo — which, like Dunne's, has been compared to roadkill (see photo) — is also the subject of much mockery. Trump, who has announced that he will not run for U.S. president in 2012, recently revealed his haircare secrets in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine.

“OK, what I do is, wash it with Head and Shoulders,” he said. “I don't dry it, though. I let it dry by itself. It takes about an hour. Then I read papers and things…”

"OK, so I've done all that. I then comb my hair. Yes, I do use a comb."

In Cameroon, the wife of President Paul Biya has drawn attention for her outlandish hairstyles, with a Tumblr blog devoted to her enormous hair, simply titled Photos of Chantal Biya’s Hair.