‘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