The Greens have been forced into a swift apology and backdown on an attack ad they ran against the National Party leader
Simon Bridges.
A screenshot from the Greens ad. Photo: RNZ
The ad, posted on Twitter, was designed to highlight his stance on electric cars, portraying it as anti-environmental
and mocking his New Zealand accent.
This follows a protracted debate between Mr Bridges and Green Party minister Julie Anne Genter about the government's
policy to encourage the use of electric and hybrid vehicles, released earlier this month.
The ad shows Mr Bridges in a car-yard with a voiceover in a broad Kiwi accent, talking about how angry he is that the
government is making climate friendly cars more affordable.
A screenshot from the now-deleted Green Party ad. Photo: RNZ
It also takes a pot shot at his political support - "prices are down, emissions are down, my polling is down".
The ad was posted this afternoon, but within a few hours was removed from the Greens' Twitter feed and replaced with an
apology for posting something that caused offence, and of poor taste.