Labour wants to get around the law by asking others to break it on its behalf
The Labour Party Headquarters has today advised me how I can break the law. I can get some government brochures and campaign with them.
Mike Williams, at a secret meeting behind doors at this weekend's Labour Party conference, told delegates to distribute pamphlets on KiwiSaver and Working for Families produced by Government departments to influence people in not voting National by telling them that National will scrap WFF and Kiwisaver even though it wont. Bad strategy.
As William's purpose in asking for the pamphlet distribution is to be reasonably regarded as encouraging voters to support a candidate or party, that is elelction advertising and counts in Labours spending cap, whether the purpose of such brochures are election advertising or not.
(Update: as No Right Turn has noted, Government Departments are barred from publishing - or promoting - election advertisements).
But although Helen Clark said she would advise her MPs and their staff not to hand out the materials in a campaigning way - she appears quite happy for Labour HQ to advise me - and presumably other members of the public - to do it.
In orther words, get her foot soldiers and unions to do the dirty campaigning and break the law for her instead - in work time, too, while not declaring the cost of the distributed material.