Electoral signs and broadcasts
October 4th, 2011 at 11:00 am by David FarrarDerek Cheng reports:
Their opponents are calling it desperate opportunism, but the Labour Party insists their black billboards are nothing more than a clever way to show support for the All Blacks.
One can show support by blogging about the team. Spending a large proportion of your limited campaign budget on billboards about the All Blacks is about politics, not sports.
About 40 billboards around Auckland and Wellington have recently popped up with white lettering on a black background: “When things look black, we’re at our best.”
Below that in red letters is: “Go the boys.”
The billboard has been mocked on right-wing blogsite Kiwiblog as desperate, and Labour’s campaign spokesman Grant Robertson was not shy about the link to the national rugby team.
“There’s multiple layers of meaning. We want to show some support for the All Blacks.”
The message was not meant to convey that Labour was close to toast this election, he said. “We’re facing a significant challenge. We recognise that. We think we can win.
“People shouldn’t be reading deeply into the tea leaves … We’re showing support for the All Blacks while having a light-hearted poke at ourselves at the same time. …
The billboards were put up within hours of being conceived, but Mr Robertson did not have the exact cost of the billboards.
Labour are trying to have you believe that this was almost done on a whim. First of all I seriously doubt any billboards were up within hours of being conceived. I’ve stuck billboards up and you need to generally get artwork in days in advance so skins can be produced, and then dried off. And then after that specialists have to put the billboards up.
As for the costs, the minimum tends to be $2,000 a month. Some sites can get close to $5,000 a month. And ballpark production costs are $1,000 per board to produce the skin and stick it up. So those 40 billboards would have costed Labour around $120,000. So they have spent $120,000 not on promoting their key messages or policies, but in trying to associate themselves with the All Blacks.
Prime Minister John Key’s DJ shows are likely to come under close scrutiny after Labour complaints to the Electoral Commission about a radio segment he hosted last week.
Mr Key hosted an hour-long programme on RadioLive on Friday. It included interviews with a number of celebrities including Sir Peter Jackson and Richie McCaw.
During the show, Mr Key told listeners the hour was an “election-free zone”, and spent the time discussing issues ranging from his cat to Coronation St.
At the time, a spokeswoman for the PM said the station had stipulated the hour had to be free of politics, after advice from the Electoral Commission that political content could breach election rules.
However, the Labour Party is arguing that his stint still broke the rules and yesterday lodged complaints with the Electoral Commission and the Broadcasting Standards Authority.
The PM went out of his way to refuse to talk politics on the show, specifically to avoid it being an election programme.
I actually think Radio Live should have given Phil Goff a one hour show also. Never mind that no one would call in!
UPDATE: The media story referred to billboards. Trevor Mallard has pointed out they are hoardings not billboards. In that case, my cost and time estimates are not correct. Billboards are 18 (and up to 60) square metres in size and are printed on special skins. They need to be put up by specialist crews. A hoarding or yard sign of up to three square metres and is on corflute and get erected on temporary structures or attached to fences.
The terms “billboard” and “hoarding” should not be interchangeable!
Related posts:
- Electoral Commission on Tui
- Labour referred to the Police for Electoral Act breach
- PM’s Radio Live show referred to Police
- The Electoral Act
October 4th, 2011 at 11:07 am
Robertson is big fat dirty piece of work. OUSA president, NZUSA president, Helen Clark advisor. His coy comments here show how deceptive he’s willing to be.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:20 am
I listen to Radio Live around 12:30 – 1 weekdays. I like to listen to the enemy when i drive home for lunch.
Pretty sure they said they had invited goff to do a show as well.
think JT said “we have invited both leaders to host a show”
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:28 am
Hilarious to think that the law as drafted may actually treat a PM on a radio show 7 weeks before an election as not a political advertisement if he doesn’t talk about policy.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:38 am
Hate to destroy your theory David. These are corflute hoardings – mainly over the top of others. Digitally printed. Total cost inc GST ex transport $1.5k.
[DPF: Oh yes if they are hoardings, not billboards, the cost and time is considerably less. The two terms should not be inter-changeable, even though the media do. Will clarify post]
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:47 am
Hey Trevor! Are you looking forward to humiliating defeat in Nov?
How are Clare and Darien?
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:51 am
The billboards are so abstruse, I’m not sure they count as election advertisement (could this really reasonably encourage someone to vote Labour?) … maybe it doesn’t even count toward the spending limit
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:56 am
“I actually think Radio Live should have given Phil Goff a one hour show also” – The Radio Live Radio Dead hour!
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 11:57 am
LOL what?
This sounds nothing at all like the billboard you yourself posted up the other day:
http://www.kiwiblog.co.nz/2011/10/how_desperate.html
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:02 pm
The billboards are so abstruse, I’m not sure they count as election advertisement (could this really reasonably encourage someone to vote Labour?)
They don’t have to encourage someone to vote for a party, they count if they encourage someone not to vote for a party too which could be the case here (own goal)
4.4 What is an election advertisement?
An election advertisement is an advertisement in any medium that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to:
vote or not to vote for a party
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:03 pm
I’ve also just blogged about the RadioLive spot. Phil Goff stated publicly via Twitter on Friday night that he would love to do one, and would, if asked. That begs the question; would Chris Flatt complain to the Electoral Commission that the Leader of the Labour Party was breaching the Broadcasting and Electoral Acts?
Another day; another outburst of faux outrage and hypocrisy from the Labour Party…
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I thought the Greens were supposed to be a party of ethics, but they’re pushing this blatant video (with collusion with MSM).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kasg4OTDam8
The promoter statement should have been sung equally as audible.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
After noticing the destruction of the National hoarding yesterday, I noticed this morning that someone else (presumably) has kicked in Grant Robertson’s face on the Labour hoarding.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:21 pm
In the meantime, a Dunedin candidate suggests strong action on sign vandalism:
Maybe the police will put a priority on heinous sign vandals, as for electoral laws there should always be severe consequences for transgressions, like being made to wear an offended party rosette for a day walking around the Octagon.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:37 pm
adze its antidemocratic bullshit when labour supporters do it and and antidemocratic bullshit when national supporters do it.
Same for minor parties too. No excuses just because we don’t like the current target.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 12:55 pm
It seems they are not pushing their party, not asking you to vote for them, they have no publicity of their Leader. They are going into a campaign promising a brand new tax. They have spent the money many times over. They get publicy criticising folk heros like the mad Butcher. Great strategy so far Labour.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Given that National’s election strategy is to avoid talking about policy, shouldn’t it therefore count as an election advertisement? How much of National’s spending limit does the $43million they paid for the show eat up?
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
2nd page of the Herald and they manage to get in a free advert. A photo of the message not the whole hoarding. Don’t you love MSM socialists.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 2:07 pm
Yep I know that Murray. It’s just the pettiness of it all that amuses me.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 2:48 pm
Completely off-message. No mention of Asset Sales, GST on Fruit-n-veg, bigger bribes, higher taxes …… just nothing. And here I was thinking that if they were to stand any chance at all, they would have to keep on-song and hammer away at a few well chosen themes with discipline and good grace.
I’m devestated and may need to rethink my voting intentions.
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 3:43 pm
Labour MP’s don’t learn do they; just 20 minutes ago, Clare Curran is gloating about her National opponent’s signs getting vandalised:
It’s really good to see Labour taking a tough line on crime
Vote:October 4th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
God these people are getting sorrier by the day. They should do themselves a favor and save their money, they’ll need it, I believe the dole is way less then a MPs salary.
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