Should’ve read the small print
An innovative New Plymouth District Council billboard campaign encouraging people to vote in the local body election has been partially undone – because the boards to not meet its own roadside signage rules.
One of the council (NPDC) billboards shows a woman driver making an offensive hand gesture, which is censored with a cartoon face, out of her car window, accompanied by the words: “Julie reckons cyclists should be run off the road. Julie is going to vote. Maybe you should too.’’
In another, ‘‘Dave’’ reckons climate change is a hoax.
The boards were put up in at least three places around the city, but have since been removed because the lettering was too small and did not comply with the rules for the positions they were in, an NPDC spokesperson said.
Councillor and mayoral aspirant Murray Chong laughed when he heard about the problem with the lettering.
NPDC recently pinged Chong, who is also standing again for council, because the wording on his billboard was 10 millimetres shorter than the 120mm council requirement. “They don’t even follow their own rules,” he said. “It’s a joke.’’
Ben Kohlis, NPDC marketing, communications and design lead, said the council used a contractor to install the signs, which are part of a $30,000 campaign.
Some were put in the wrong place and had been removed.
The signs, designed to encourage people to vote and get them talking, had resulted in a “handful’’ of people complaining, Kohlis said, out of a population of 84,000.
‘‘Our $30,000 election campaign consisting of ‘Stand for Election’, ‘Know Your Candidate’ and ‘Vote now’ elements were developed over months and successfully tested with focus groups before it was rolled out.’’
Voter turnout stood at just 45 per cent at the 2019 election.
New Plymouth Cycling club president Richard Peters said he did not think the billboard was the way to go about getting more people to vote. ‘‘And isn’t the council trying to get people out on bikes to enjoy the region and foreshore?’’
While some praised the billboards on social media platform Neighbourly, two said they had complained. Another said: ‘‘Considering my 18-year-old nephew was ran off the road whilst cycling, I find this very offensive.’’
For the 2019 election, NPDC also ran a $30,000 campaign aimed at getting the younger generation involved.
At the time a giant inflatable poo emoji was seen out and about the district. The cartoon image was used in electronic messages and web pages – with the slogan ‘Give a s..t, vote today’. The campaign won a national award, as well as criticism.
Another way to encourage voters is a smartphone app. Former councillor Len Houwers has bought the rights to Let’s Talk, which lets people directly question candidates. However, some candidates have declined to use the app.