Ads get candidate in hot water

Joe Carr

Tactical campaigning in the Northland byelection could get one candidate in trouble after he took out front-page ads urging voters to vote for Winston Peters instead of himself.

In the last week of the campaign Focus NZ candidate Joe Carr ran two front-page advertisements in the Northland Age urging voters to "vote for Peters" and at least one in the Northern Advocate. The two Northland Age ads ran next to Mr Peters' own campaign ads.

Under electoral law, anyone promoting a candidate in an election advertisement needs the candidate's written authorisation to do so.

Mr Peters said he was grateful for Mr Carr's support but had not authorised the ads nor had he known about them. Mr Carr confirmed he had not approached Mr Peters for permission and did not realise he should have. The Electoral Commission said if the advertisement was published without the authorisation of the candidate the advertiser could be in breach of the Electoral Act.

Asked about Mr Carr's advertisements, a spokeswoman for the commission said it would wait to see what was declared in the candidates' returns before deciding whether to take action. If prosecuted, the offence carries a $10,000 fine if it was not deliberate or up to $100,000 and two years in prison if it was wilful and a "corrupt practice".

If Mr Peters had authorised it, he would have to include some of the cost of the ads in his own expenses. Candidates can spend $26,100 on their campaigns in a general election but about double that ($52,100) in a byelection. If an advertisement promotes two candidates, both are expected to split the cost in their return.

Mr Peters said he was well under the spending cap.

Mr Carr was one of several byelection candidates who supported tactical voting for Mr Peters in the campaign. The Electoral Commission is also looking into a placard carried by Independent candidate Bruce Rogan which urged people to vote for Mr Peters but had no authorising statement on it. Mr Rogan was seen with the home-made placard when the Prime Minister was in Dargaville last Thursday. The Electoral Commission said it needed an authorising statement from Mr Rogan and Mr Peters' written authorisation.