ASA Also Finds Craig ‘Manipulative’   19 Sep 2014

Rt Hon Winston Peters

New Zealand First Leader
19 SEPTEMBER 2014

Advertising Standards Authority Also Finds Craig ‘Manipulative’

Conservative Party leader Colin Craig has been officially caught out manipulating and misleading the voter with incorrect information, says New Zealand First Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters.

Mr Peters says the Conservative Party has been found to be in breach of the advertising code of ethics by the Advertising Standards Authority for its statements on Alcohol Reform in a Direct Mail Letter and Pamphlet.

The authority’s Complaints Board upheld in full New Zealand First’s specific complaint regarding “Alcohol Reform”

New Zealand First had submitted that the Conservative Party was “very manipulative of the consumer recipient who may only read the advertisement and not investigate further. It seeks to assure the reader that this has come from the ’honest’ leader of the ‘cleanest’ political party, and that its contents are to that standard, whereas it is in fact significantly incorrect to the point of being by topic (7) dishonest.” (see bottom page 5 and top page 6)

On the Conservative Party’s points on Alcohol Reform, the Board has ruled that Mr Craig made a substantive error in his statement and breached Rule 2 of the Code of Ethics.

The Board also said as this part of the advertisement was a breach, the advertisement was also in breach of the requirement for a due sense of social responsibility under Basic Principle 4 of the Code of Ethics.

“This was not robust political debate but a deliberate attempt to sway voters with manipulative information,” says Mr Peters.

Mr Craig cherry picked what he said were five key recommendations in the Alcohol in our Lives Law Commission Report, which is about 40 pages long, says Mr Peters.

“Mr Craig’s behaviour falls short of the sort of standards we at New Zealand First would expect, which demonstrates that the man who has vowed to 'clean up politics' will need to start in his own backyard first.

“This is the second time in two days that Mr Craig has been accused of being a very manipulative man.

“First: his press secretary who knows him well, made that allegation yesterday,

“Second: New Zealand First has made that allegation, and today the Advertising Standards Authority has found in our favour.”

ENDS

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