Dunne: Quarter of election campaign lost on cuppa-gate

A quarter of an already short four-week election campaign has been wasted by media obsession about what two men did or did not say over a cup of tea, UnitedFuture leader and Ohariu MP Peter Dunne said today.

"It is getting to the point of being unbelievable that this trivia is all the media cares about when New Zealanders are about to select a government to guide this country through the next three years in the midst of a global economy crisis.

"At worst, someone said something mean about Don Brash, and not nice about older voters who support Winston Peters.

"Are these really the biggest issues New Zealanders face right now?

"The media need to serve the New Zealand public here and get a sense of proportion, because they are rightly starting to get the blame for this ongoing fiasco from an increasingly frustrated public that would like to see the real issues facing this country debated.

"Phil Goff - the potential alternative Prime Minister - has not been in the news for a week now, and although I am not fighting his corner, it does show how ridiculous things are getting," Mr Dunne said.

Ends

Authorised by Hon Peter Dunne MP, Parliament Buildings, Parliament, Wellington

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