Sensible Sentencing Trust's billboards on Whitmore St. Photo: RNZ/Giles Dexter
Billboards attacking Green Party MPs Chlöe Swarbrick and Tamatha Paul have appeared in Auckland and Wellington, with the group responsible saying the party has an "anti-victim mentality."
The billboards, which resemble Green Party campaign hoardings, contain the slogans "Defund the Police" and "Vote Green".
A second set said "Woop Woop! Defund da Police," a reference to KRS-One's track Sound of da Police, which Paul played during her DJ Set at Cuba Dupa last month.
The pictures of Paul have appeared on a screen on a building on Whitmore Street, within view of Parliament.
Sensible Sentencing Trust's billboards on Whitmore St. Photo: RNZ/Giles Dexter
The billboards look similar to the campaign hoardings Paul used in her successful bid to win the Wellington Central electorate in 2023, even using the same portrait.
An authorisation statement at the bottom of the billboards confirmed the Sensible Sentencing Trust was behind the campaign.
In a statement, the group said Auckland and Wellington's CBDs "face significant challenges in relation to public safety and crime, but the Green MPs representing these communities would have the police 'defunded' and even prisons 'abolished'."
Spokesperson Louise Parsons said the "vast majority" of Green voters would be "shocked by the radical views of the Green Party's electorate MPs in Auckland Central and Wellington Central".
The Sensible Sentencing Trust is a group which advocates for tougher penalties against offenders.
The billboards were later changed to use photos captured from Parliament TV.
The Sensible Sentencing Trust said the Greens had complained to the billboard company asserting copyright breaches, as they owned the copyright to Paul's official candidate photo.
The billboards were later changed to use photos captured from Parliament TV. Photo: RNZ/Giles Dexter
In 2024, it "reactivated" in order to oppose the government's Three Strikes sentencing bill, which it said was "watered-down" and a "betrayal" to voters who were promised a tougher regime.
In response to the billboards, Swarbrick, the Green's co-leader, said her party had always pushed for "real, evidence-based debate on policy," though the party would not comment on whether it would take action against the billboards.
"After 40 years of trickle-down politics and economics, New Zealanders are not safer, healthier or happier. Are we willing to have a rational, calm discussion about how to genuinely make our communities safer, or will we stay stuck in the knee-jerk shock politics?" Swarbrick said.
"It's clear right wing organisations and political parties are keen to shut down any civil discussion about where things have gone wrong and how we could improve - so much for being free speech advocates."
Defunding the police is not Green Party policy. At a panel last month Paul said police resources could be used more productively, and suggested other agencies and organisations were better placed to take on some of police's functions.
She said a "visible police presence" was making people feel more on edge, and she had received "nothing but complaints" about police beat patrols.
A spokesperson for the Electoral Commission confirmed the Green Party had contacted the Commission about the advertisements, but in the Commission's view, the billboards complied with the Electoral Act.
While third-party promoters are required to obtain authorisation from a party secretary to publish an advertisement that may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters to vote for a party, they do not need authorisation if the advertisement encourages voters not to vote for a party.
"In this case, based on the overall content and context of the billboards our view is that they may reasonably be regarded as encouraging or persuading voters not to vote for the Green Party. Accordingly, the prior written authorisation of the party secretary is not required," the spokesperson said.
The billboards also included a promoter statement with a name and address.
The spokesperson said the Electoral Commission does not regulate the content of election advertisements, and if a party was concerned the content did not comply with advertising standards, it could go to the Advertising Standards Authority.
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