Free publicity for The Rock

The shareholders of The Rock will want to thank Sue Bradford and Carol Beaumont for promoting their win a bride competition.

NZPA report:

A radio contest to win a Ukrainian mail-order bride has come in for more flak – this time from an MP within Parliament.

Labour’s Women’s Affairs spokeswoman Carol Beaumont this morning said she was ”appalled” by the contest.

In a blog on Labour’s Red Alert site, Beaumont added her criticism to that of the former Green Party MP Sue Bradford for the promotion.

”It is a reminder that there is still an attitude towards women in NZ that is deeply troubling – that they are commodities to buy and to own,” Beaumont said.

”The reality is that there is still a long way to go to achieving genuine equality for women in New Zealand. There are still stereotypes, put downs and discrimination.”

The contest, run by MediaWorks’ The Rock radio station, will see the winner flown to the Ukraine for 12 nights, given $2000 spending money, and offered their choice of a bride from an agency.

”If you’re interested in holy matrimony with a potentially hot foreign chick, fill it out to the best of your abilities,” the competition application form says on the station’s website.

The radio station is promoting the contest on air as ”morally bankrupt”.

This is the same radio station that also married off total strangers to each other in another competition (ironically the marriage is still going well a decade later), so why are people surprised over this competition?