Metallica's teen Kiwi superfan William Bush stoked at NZ concert

VIP ticketholder William Bush gets a tour of Mt Smart Stadium with special guide Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern ahead of the Metallica concert this coming October. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Metallica teen superfan William Bush helped bring the heavy metal gods to New Zealand – and he'll be in VIP seats at the Auckland concert.

William was ecstatic to learn today that Metallica had heeded his 7000-signature petition calling for the band to add New Zealand to their tour itinerary.

But his day got even better when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was on hand to present him with tickets to the Mt Smart Stadium concert on October 31.

The Hawke's Bay superfan was lured to the stadium today on the premise an interview about his successful petition.

Instead, the Prime Minister surprised him with two tickets as reward for his hard work.

He came dressed all in black, unsurprisingly, wearing a Metallica long-sleeve.

His mother Anna said her 12-year-old son had been dubious about the trip and wondered what it was really about.

He did think he might be meeting members of the band but that was quickly quashed after he saw they were performing in the United States.

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"That's awesome," William said, admitting he'd have to choose between his father and his brother.

His mother wasn't too interested in coming.

William had started a petition to bring the Grammy-winning heavy metal icons to the country (and his hometown of Hawke's Bay).

This morning, the Hawke's Bay teen's wish came true as Metallica confirmed they would perform at Auckland Mt Smart Stadium on October 31.

William said today's announcement made it all worth it as he had feared in the past weeks that Metallica would never come.

Anna said their household was full of excitement.

"Hard work has paid off for a little boy who has written a lot of letters."

Her husband and 15-year-old son, Ben were also fans of the band.

Will's brother was probably quite jealous about his encounter, he said.

He had met the Prime Minister, got tickets to Metallica and been flown to Auckland while his brother was in English class.

Metallica will play Auckland in October.

Last year, in a bid to gain the attention of the metal icons, William started a petition after the American band announced their WorldWired tour earlier this year and that New Zealand was not on the list.

The petition gathered more than 6700 signatures.

The groundswell of support even caught the attention of the Prime Minister, who sent William a letter to let him known how impressed she was with all the effort he had gone to.

William shares a laugh with the Prime Minister after receiving his VIP tickets. Photo / Jason Oxenham

He said he was "sort of" surprised to received the letter.

William has been a fan as long as he can remember and has five of the band's records including their fifth and self-titled album also known as the Black Album, as well as Master of Puppets, Ride the Lightning, Death Magnetic, and their most recent 2016, Hardwired ... to Self-Destruct.

After the special presentation of William's VIP tickets, Ardern was asked what role she had played in persuading Metallica to add a New Zealand show. "Absolutely nothing," she replied.

"That's why I'm here to thank William."

Metallica last visited New Zealand in 2010.