‘Bomber’, aka Martyn Bradbury, has agreed to present the ‘Whittaker’s Good Honest Election Campaign Report, on youth radio station Channel Z between 9pm-10.30pm from Sunday 24 October through to Sunday 21 November as part of an effort to get young people interested in the general election.

The no-holds barred weekly show aims to get young people sending in the questions they most want answered by politicians, and those questions will then be put directly to the leaders of the major parties. Channel Z is broadcast into Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and immediate outlying areas.

Bomber was rapt to be asked to do the ‘Good Honest Election Campaign Report’ saying it was great that a company, particularly a Kiwi icon like Whittaker’s, was doing something positive to create interest among young people in the general election.

“We’ve got an opportunity to make politicians front up and explain how their policies will actually make a single bit of difference to young people’s lives, because the plain fact is there’s a whole lot of disinterest and outright cynicism amongst younger audiences towards politicians and politics, generally.”

“Young people can make a difference to the election result. Some 350,000 people haven’t enrolled yet and many of them will be young voters. 350,000 votes could impact on the proportion of seats a party has in Parliament after the election. We shouldn’t leave it to more motivated ‘oldies’ to decide it for us,” said Bomber.

To get questions and key issues from youth more than 5000 postcards picturing a Peanut Slab and the question ‘if you were stranded on desert island with an MP, who would it be…honestly?’ on the front, will be widely distributed through youth retail outlets, cinemas, cafes and other venues. Issues and questions will then be put directly to politicians on the Good Honest Campaign Report.

Whittaker’s has a television advertisement featuring a candidate knocking on doors and explaining what he’ll do if he’s elected to Parliament. After eating a Peanut Slab, a good honest chocolate, the candidate proceeds to tell the prospective voter what he’ll really do. The company plans to run the ad through the election campaign.

“That television commercial was one of the reasons I agreed to do this – it’s a great send up and probably an accurate reflection of how many of us treat the promises politicians make. What we’re trying to say by doing the Good Honest Campaign Report is ‘unless we put the real questions to politicians and start holding them accountable for what they promise, we can hardly complain about things later’,” said Bomber.

To send in questions people can use the Peanut Slab postcards and send them to:
The Good Honest Election Campaign Report
C/- PO Box 9691
Wellington

Or simply fax or email questions or issues directly to:
Fax: 04 473 0467
Email: honest@peanutslab.nzl.com

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