Referrals to Police
Two separate referrals related to election advertising were made to Police on 27 September 2023.
The Electoral Commission has referred Rhema Media to Police for election programmes broadcast on radio prior to the election period.
Under section 80I of the Broadcasting Act, an election programme cannot be broadcast at any time on radio or television other than during the ‘election period’, which runs from 10 September to 13 October 2023 for the 2023 General Election.
A separate referral has been made to Police relating to signs promoting Te Pāti Māori which were published without a promoter statement.
Under section 204F of the Electoral Act, an election advertisement must contain a promoter statement.
As these alleged breaches are now with Police, the Electoral Commission will not be commenting further.