ACT attacks Ad

The Herald reports:

The Labour Party has posted an ad on Facebook featuring a visit by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to ESR and the national contact tracing centre, with a brief appearance by director general of health Ashley Bloomfield.

Act leader David Seymour described it is scandalous and that no public servants should be used to help political parties to campaign.

But a spokeswoman for Ardern said the advert did not break any rules, despite the decision later being taken to take the advert down for a re-edit.

“To even think it might be okay to go and use a Government department to shoot a political ad is just extraordinary,” Seymour said.

“One of the hallmarks of a democracy is you don’t get to use the power of Government for your own re-election.”

Wasn’t it the PM who said one shouldn’t politicise the Covid-19 response, and then goes and uses footage of the DG of Health in a campaign ad!