Finlayson Christopher: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
Finlayson Christopher: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers 
[Volume:643;Page:13205] 
6.  
CHRISTOPHER FINLAYSON (National) 
 to the  
Minister of Justice 
: What types of material does the Electoral Finance Bill exclude from the meaning of the term “election advertisement” in clause 5(2)(c)? 
Hon ANNETTE KING (Minister of Justice) 
: 
 The bill makes it clear that editorials news and current affairs programmes and news media publications on the Internet are exempt from the definition of “election advertisement”. I agree with the Justice and Electoral Committee that the news media play an important role in any democracy and we consider that unnecessary restriction on news publications is undesirable. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: Why is it that the exception for editorial material covers only material that is published solely for the purpose of informing enlightening or entertaining; and does that not mean that this Government’s Electoral Finance Bill has made editorials that take a political position on a party or policy and thus do not solely inform enlighten or entertain subject to regulation as election advertisements? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: No I do not believe that is the case. I think the law of common sense applies in this case as it always has. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: When the  
New Zealand Herald  
took a political stance on the Electoral Finance Bill last week and rightly said it was an attack on democracy was it publishing material that was solely for the purpose of informing enlightening or entertaining readers; if so why? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I believe that the  
New Zealand Herald  
thought that is exactly what it was doing. However the public must be mystified that it chose to do what it did last week—just before the select committee reported back changes made at the committee—as if the bill had not been changed at all and would not be changed. It went through scenarios on the bill as it was introduced and did not take account of the fact that the public had had a say on it—that 575 submissions had been received and that there were over 100 oral submissions—and that the select committee had gone about its work and had made changes. The  
New Zealand Herald  
chose to present it as if no changes would be made and that there had not been any changes at all. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: I raise a point of order Madam Speaker. That was a very long and diffuse response but I ask whether it addressed a very precise question. I was not talking about the process of the select committee leading up to its deliberation. I was asking a very precise question on the wording of the bill. 
Madam SPEAKER 
: The Minister did actually address the question. I listened carefully to that. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: If the  
New Zealand Herald  
decided to undertake more campaign journalism in which it took a strong view on a policy associated with a type of political party then would that be publishing material that was solely for the purpose of informing enlightening or entertaining readers; if so why? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I think that any newspaper is there to enlighten to entertain and to inform the public in whatever way it wants. However if the newspaper decided that it wanted to register as a third party and say “Vote National” then it would be caught by the provisions of the bill. 
Christopher Finlayson 
: When Brian Rudman wrote in the  
New Zealand Herald  
that Judith Tizard made a twit of herself did the  
New Zealand Herald  
publish it solely—I ask the Minister to note the word “solely”—for the purpose of informing enlightening or entertaining readers or was this a statement that encouraged or persuaded voters not to vote for a candidate by reference to one of her positions”? 
Hon ANNETTE KING 
: I am a great admirer of Brian Rudman’s columns. He has written many stating what a pack of twits the Nats are—in fact he does so most weeks. Brian Rudman has the right of free speech. He never said “Vote National” or “Vote Labour”. He was talking about a particular issue.