Is This Charity Or What?
New Zealand First leader Rt Hon Winston Peters has offered a bouquet to the staff of Telecom for choosing Lifeline as
the recipient of a $30,000 donation from Telecom, and a brickbat to Telecom for spending $23,000 on a full-page
advertisement in the New Zealand Herald to tell the world about it.
“Telecom’s gift is admirable and undoubtedly Lifeline is a most worthy cause, but telling everyone you are giving it in
a full-page ad is self-promotion at its worst. “I suggest instead of shameless self promotion Telecom could have
additionally gifted the advertising amount of $23,000 to Lifeline as well as the original amount of $30,000 almost
doubling the value of the gift,” said Mr Peters.