Ardern makes concerted pitch to youth
Jacinda Ardern describes herself as ‘‘youth adjacent’’ so it was no surprise she wound up at the Smokefree Rockquest Final in Auckland yesterday.
‘‘Do you get nervous?’’ she asked one of the performers. how you feel.’’
So, did they have any before an important appearance? ‘‘Pee before on,’’ said one musician.
Meanwhile, Greens leader James Shaw unveiled his party’s policy to implement a tax on pollution. He ‘‘I know advice public you go spent the day campaigning across Martinborough and Greytown, later dropping into the boutique underwear factory Thunderpants to get a glimpse at the special Green Party fabric it was designing for the party to be wearing on election night.
Prime Minister Bill English was soaking up the adoration on the safe blue streets of Tauranga. His day on the campaign trail included a go on the rowing machines at Waikato University’s Adams Centre for high performance, and an announcement of $69m in funding to achieve National’s Predator Free 2050 goal.
Goodfellow said the annual auction would help to pay for electioneering in the form of election signs and brochures, TV ads, and digital marketing.
Guests could also bid for the pleasure of the Prime Minister’s company over dinner.
But forget the pineapple and spaghetti pizza, if the prize pack was anything like that offered at the lavish National Party fundraiser at the Pullman Hotel on Thursday evening, the top bidder would be expected to take the PM out to dinner to a restaurant.
Bidders noted the dinner would have to happen after the election, and the cost was not included.
A Chinese community leader said such appearances would hold enormous prestige in the culture.
‘‘Whomever won that dinner would be highly regarded because they hold a special bond with the New Zealand Prime Minister.’’
They said if the dinner went well, the successful bidder might enjoy increased business opportunities in the future because of it.
As for the benefit to the winner of self-proclaimed ‘‘accomplished artist’’ John Key’s Beehive doodle? We’ll leave that to the imagination.
Key was not the first or the last Prime Minister to use his artistic skills for financial gain.
A painting signed by then-prime minister Helen Clark fetched $1000 at an charity auction in 1999.
It was later discovered that a professional artist painted it rather than Clark, in a scandal that became known as ‘‘Paintergate’’.
Police ruled that Clark committed forgery when she signed a painting someone else had created, but said prosecuting her was not in the public interest.
In 2007, a genuine doodle by Clark sold for a more modest sum.
Key caught onto the craze and jotted down several more works of art during this time as prime minister.
One of his works, also featuring the Beehive, sold for $4010 in April, 2010.