Aroha Ardern Poster Banned?

Written By: - Date published: 9:24 pm, June 21st, 2020 - 66 comments
Categories: Abuse of power, class war, same old national, violence against women - Tags: , , ,

The Obama ‘Hope’ inspired Weston Frizzell poster of Jacinda Ardern has been referred to the Electoral Commission.

The poster has been pasted in several urban areas. It’s a stylised version of the PM, accompanied with the entirely appropriate te reo word “AROHA”.

Jacinda Ardern portrait by Weston Frizzell 'Aroha' 1.2 x 2 m

It’s magnificent. It could be a new generation’s Michael Joseph Savage picture.

Michael Joseph Savage's victory speech, 1935 – Labour Party – Te ...

But it’s mighty triggering for conservatives.

This hilariously frothing video is a classic of its kind.

Poor chap! He’s that far out of place here in Aotearoa that even Enoch Powell would probably consider him a candidate for forced repatriation. And I’m certainly up for a pony if anyone wants to start a Give A Little page to buy him a ticket back to Blighty.

Weston Frizzell have posted the following message:

“After numerous complaints about our AROHA Jacinda poster project, Weston Frizzell are assisting the Electoral Commission with their investigation into whether or not said posters and associated street campaign are in breach of section 204F of the Electoral Act.”

It’s not clear which specific complaint is being acted on, though fingers are being pointed at the Taxpayers Union (welfare beneficiaries and definitely Not A Real Union). If only they knew a free speech advocate who could tell them the difference between advertising and art.

Oh, wait. They do.

The good news is that the poster is not yet banned and still available for purchase by emailing mike@thearea.co.nz.

$190 buys you two.

That’s one for your wall, one to display to the world.

Let’s do this!

The artwork is on display outside an Auckland dairy. Photo / Supplied

 

“Censorship is to art as lynching is to justice.”

Henry Louis Gates

 

 

 

 

66 comments on “Aroha Ardern Poster Banned? ”

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  1. Siobhan 1
    21 June 2020 at 10:10 pm

    And In case anyone is wondering why the posters have disappeared,,,Well, thats what happens when you allow the likes of Phantom Billboards to own public space…so called street art; is only around for the time you've paid for…Phantom are well known for censoring covering and removing real street art that infringes on their space..which is pretty much all the best spots in any given city.

    "but the period we paid for has expired so most have been covered"..from Weston F. fb.

  2. georgecom 2
    21 June 2020 at 10:35 pm

    who is the twat whose video is linked to? holy heck, the guy is being quite a dick.

    marxist, hitler, stalin, lenin, george orwell all mentioned in the one breath

    he doesn;t even explain what his issue is, just makes a serious of platitudes

    • aom 2.1
      21 June 2020 at 11:06 pm

      Yeah, and with an accent like his, he should know where to go with the words "F__K OFF" ringing in his ears!

  3. JohnSelway 3
    21 June 2020 at 11:27 pm

    I’d have a lot more sympathy if I didn’t know if it were 5 years ago and a poster of John Key, that someone on the left would report while someone on The Standard would breathlessly talk about National breaking electoral law.

    • McFlock 3.1
      21 June 2020 at 11:38 pm

      possibly, but I'm not sure they'd be supergodwinning right off the bat like that.

      Personally I find the poster a bit too derivative, but each to their own.

    • observer 3.2
      21 June 2020 at 11:48 pm

      5 years ago? John Key? Sounds familiar …

      It's already happened. Free speech won in the end.

    • newsense 3.3
      21 June 2020 at 11:55 pm

      Yeh kinda agree with you. I'd have more sympathy if, against a backdrop of 70, 000 odd deaths in the UK and 165,000 odd deaths in the USA, there wasn't such a massive froth being made over two cases with one close contact. Also if the media didn't just print everything the TP union released uncritically. But yeh.

      • Draco T Bastard 3.3.1
        22 June 2020 at 1:44 pm

        Ah, the old 'its worse over there so stop complaining about how bad it is here' trick that morons use to make themselves feel better about how they're ignoring how bad things are here.

        We can do something about how bad things are here but we can't do anything about there. We don't have that right.

        • woodart 3.3.1.1
          22 June 2020 at 3:45 pm

          without comparing to others, how do you know that you are superior to them? or inferior as the case may be. how do you know how bad things are here, without comparing ourselves to others. please show ,compared to others, how bad things are here. your comment makes no sense, just moaning on a loop

          • Draco T Bastard 3.3.1.1.1
            22 June 2020 at 4:01 pm

            Why do you think we need to compare ourselves to others to know how bad things are here?

            Obviously, if we see something in our own community that we don't like then it is up to us to change it.

    • Gabby 3.4
      22 June 2020 at 10:22 am

      'I'm not ashamed to be a decent human being' tshirts would be ok I guess.

    • Draco T Bastard 3.5
      22 June 2020 at 1:45 pm

      You seem to be talking out your arse and making absolutely no sense doing it.

      • Patricia Bremner 3.5.1
        22 June 2020 at 1:55 pm

        DracoTB, While you feel free to use bile and negativity with every breath.

      • JohnSelway 3.5.2
        22 June 2020 at 3:07 pm

        You're seriously suggested that if this 5 years and someone was placing John Key posters around in the same vein that you wouldn't call it a breach of the Electoral Act?

        You know you would be.

        • woodart 3.5.2.1
          22 June 2020 at 3:49 pm

          if you knew anything about art, or advertising, you would know the difference between a stylised drawing , and a photo, with team colours and insignia. vast difference, no where near joyces "pretty legal"

        • Draco T Bastard 3.5.2.2
          22 June 2020 at 3:57 pm

          I would only call it a breach of the Electoral Act if it was actually a breach be it today or 5 years ago. I did, prior to the last Labour led government's change, say that such was electioneering and should be counted as such.

          And the last Labour led government did, as a matter of fact, change the law so that such pre-electioneering was illegal but then National changed it back to how it was before. Which, of course, means that any such pre-electioneering is legal – just the way that National and their supporters wanted it to be which means that they don't get to whinge about it now.

  4. millsy 4
    22 June 2020 at 1:39 am

    That TERF, Ani O'Brien has a real bee in her bonnet about it.

    I dont know why she hates Jacinda sooo much. Perhaps she spurned her advances once?

    • Rosemary McDonald 4.1
      22 June 2020 at 8:45 am

      I dont know why she hates Jacinda sooo much. Perhaps she spurned her advances once?

      Yep. Must be it.

      How about helping us out here and provide a link?

      • millsy 4.1.1
        22 June 2020 at 9:39 am

        No need for a link. Just check out her Twitter. Full of anti Jacinda bile and complaints about the chattering classes. Ironically has no problem about aligning with those would have percecute people like her.

        • Peter 4.1.1.1
          22 June 2020 at 12:26 pm

          O'Brien is jealous. A lot of the anti-Ardern stuff is that. Men pissed of that a young (relatively) woman got to be in the drivers seat, bitchy wannabe women pissed off that she had the cheek to get the job and be in a position of power that they will never have,

      • roblogic 4.1.2
        22 June 2020 at 4:09 pm

        There is no evidence because the smear is false. Look at Ani's timeline; it's critical but not hateful.

        The nearest thing she posted is this:

        https://twitter.com/aniobrien/status/1265588147565428737?s=20

        ooo how evil and terfy!! 🙄

        • Rosemary McDonald 4.1.2.1
          22 June 2020 at 5:12 pm

          Thanks for that link roblogic. I had a very quick scan of Ani O's Twitter thingy and could find nothing relating to the poster. I struggle with both Faceache and Twitter.

          And you're completely correct. No indication of a single bee, never mind the swarm millsy imagines. One wonders if perhaps millsy's bile is rejection induced?

          Since that seems to be a thing…

          • maggieinnz 4.1.2.1.1
            22 June 2020 at 7:06 pm

            "One wonders if perhaps millsy's bile is rejection induced?

            Since that seems to be a thing…"

            This made me smile, nicely done!

        • millsy 4.1.2.2
          22 June 2020 at 8:16 pm

          You and I must be reading totally different Twit feeds.

          Anyway, she is not going to tell everyone the PM rejected her.

    • SPC 4.2
      22 June 2020 at 9:50 am

      Journalists get given stories (Taxpayers Union), or they follow stuff on Twitter – usually amongst the opposition as that is where they get their attack info (thus no need for Whaleoil and Kiwiblog anymore – which is why the Taxpayers Union)

      If a poster of the PM's likeness is unfair "propaganda before an election, how about

      journalists/MSM giving up following TU story leads during the campaign as well …

      • Draco T Bastard 4.2.1
        22 June 2020 at 1:51 pm

        If a poster of the PM's likeness is unfair "propaganda before an election,

        Didn't Labour do something about that which National then repealed as soon as they were in power?

        Something about making the electioneering period from Jan 1st of election year. IIRC, National complained about the law quite bitterly and said that electioneering just didn't last that long despite all their electioneering that obviously happened before the billed electioneering period.

  5. OnceWasTim 5
    22 June 2020 at 2:10 am

    "Poor chap! He’s that far out of place here in Aotearoa that even Enoch Powell would probably consider him a candidate for forced repatriation. And I’m certainly up for a pony if anyone wants to start a Give A Little page to buy him a ticket back to Blighty."

    Let me know where to donate.

    Unfortunately he isn't really that far out of place in Aotearoa in a lot of places. His biggest decision would probably be which passport to use when hopping on the plane. I suspect he might not want to leave the lifestyle block and all the treats and trinkets he's worked so very very hard to accumulate though.

  6. gsays 6
    22 June 2020 at 7:21 am

    So where does racism (bad) stop and xenophobia (seemingly ok) start?

    I have recently watched an exchange, where a young woman of Asian descent, at an Outdoors Party meeting, was told to go back to her own country for arguing against All Lives Matter.

    On this post, responding to a point of view that isn't liked, the cries for him to 'go back to where he came from' are thick and plenty.

    Regardless of the motivation, it is othering.

    • roblogic 6.1
      22 June 2020 at 9:09 am

      I dunno, but I suspect that the neoliberal plan for the economy is not "Aroha"

      • millsy 6.1.1
        22 June 2020 at 9:46 am

        Yes, more like 'austerity'.

        We are still suffering from the long term effects of Ruth's austerity package.

    • Gabby 6.2
      22 June 2020 at 10:27 am

      Well he's something else all right.

    • OnceWasTim 6.3
      22 June 2020 at 1:39 pm

      "So where does racism (bad) stop and xenophobia (seemingly ok) start?"

      I'm really going to be laying awake at night now thinking about it, and the pros and cons of imperialism and past empires, arbitrary borders imposed on people by imperialists defining their notion of a nation state, what constitutes citizenship or the ability to legally reside in a space, whether citizenship should be transportable, collectable, tradeable ………….. yea/nah!

      More complexity and time in that than the pillock deserves, and I'm considerably, considerably more exceptional and gorgeous than that piece of shit deserves

      Easier to just think of the guy as a complete bloody wanker in pursuit of likes, a following and trying to show everyone how clever he is (I'll be asleep in no time)

      • Draco T Bastard 6.3.1
        22 June 2020 at 1:55 pm

        I'm really going to be laying awake at night now thinking about it, and the pros and cons of imperialism and past empires, arbitrary borders imposed on people by imperialists defining their notion of a nation state, what constitutes citizenship or the ability to legally reside in a space, whether citizenship should be transportable, collectable, tradeable ………….. yea/nah!

        I hope you're also going to think about the issues that happen when people are free to move anywhere they choose, any time they choose.

        • JohnSelway 6.3.1.1
          22 June 2020 at 2:09 pm

          "I hope you're also going to think about the issues that happen when people are free to move anywhere they choose, any time they choose."

          What are these issues?

          • Draco T Bastard 6.3.1.1.1
            22 June 2020 at 2:48 pm

            Resources and the lack of them mostly which would have come with increased crime as people did whatever they needed to do to survive. Then there would be the trashing of local culture and the deprivations that would bring.

            But also consider Covid-19 and what would have happened if the world had open borders and millions of people trying to flee from the infection.

            • JohnSelway 6.3.1.1.1.1
              22 June 2020 at 3:02 pm

              So you're saying that people shouldn't have the freedom to move to live somewhere else?

              • roblogic …
                22 June 2020 at 4:38 pm

                So you’re saying that there should be no borders and any country should be able to invade its neighbours and accuse them of xenophobia?

                • JohnSelway …
                  22 June 2020 at 4:40 pm

                  No – I'm not saying that at all. I'm trying to clarify what DTB is saying.

              • Draco T Bastard …
                22 June 2020 at 6:24 pm

                I'm saying that a nation has the right to forbid entry to others if that nation so chooses for whatever reason that nation so chooses.

                Individuals do not have the right to free movement because it can be, and probably will be, detrimental to the people already living where they want to move to.

        • OnceWasTim 6.3.1.2
          22 June 2020 at 2:18 pm

          I've occupied my mind with that sort of stuff for a long time. Whether its nomadic African tribes that once had the ability to travel on traditional routes but now have 'conditions' imposed on them, or the immigration policies of so-called 1st Whurl nations – which really aren't that much different from the way we trade commodities and services (dressed up as supposedly "free" trade agreements, but which are really more like reciprocal agreements with knots and tassles on).

          Eeee by gum. Back later though DtB – Now that I'm a newly appointed Pensioner-at-Large, I'm due a nanna-nap and I definitely feel a snooze coming on

          • gsays 6.3.1.2.1
            22 June 2020 at 5:36 pm

            I think it was The Two Ronnies that reckoned Robert Mugabe was a Yorkshireman as his surname backwards is E ba gum.

            • OnceWasTim 6.3.1.2.1.1
              22 June 2020 at 8:04 pm

              Hark! I have awakened, and yes I think you are Orl Krect regarding the Gabe, and his freedom fighters who also used to lay awake at night worrying about where e's and b's and a's should fit in their vision of the future.

              Probably the best thing is that we're all very likely about to get a dose of reality.

              Hopefully that reality won't include that pillock that started this discussion – I'll be doing my best to socially and physically distance from Him anyway

      • gsays 6.3.2
        22 June 2020 at 7:22 pm

        Unfortunately I wasn't referring to him.

        It was the deportation brigade commenting here I was drawing attention to.

  7. ianmac 7
    22 June 2020 at 9:21 am

    Of course the expansion of the debate over the poster increases its exposure. Is it possible that the Taxpayers Union loves Jacinda so much that they instigate the protest to expand her recognition. Aroha indeed?

  8. Rosemary McDonald 8
    22 June 2020 at 9:53 am

    FfS.

    However much it's spun…Ardern is not Savage reincarnated.

    The totally pathetic attempt to link the two at the (retrospectively) embarrassing launch of Kiwibuild should have been a lesson learned.

    However….the polls look good despite the many, many broken promises so it is very likely that your party will win.

    Largely because so many of today's voters have no memory of a time before neoliberalism.

    The poster, the fan art…it really is nothing but fluff.

  9. Shanreagh 9
    22 June 2020 at 1:07 pm

    I love the poster BUT there are little red triangles similar to the ones that DT used as part of the letter A.

    I am sure that when the poster was created this was far from the creators' minds. If they do print more or use on T shirts then perhaps alter them. This will give the moaners something more, possibly substantial to raise.

  10. Policy Parrot 10
    22 June 2020 at 4:21 pm

    Labour should immediately include this in their Election spending and use a slightly altered version as their party vote billboard. vote aroha vote ardern party vote Labour.

  11. The Al1en 11
    22 June 2020 at 4:45 pm

    Regarding election hoardings: When can they be erected for the general election?

    Wikipedia states: “Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announces the general election will be held on 19 September”

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_New_Zealand_general_election

    and

    “18 July 2020, Election hoardings may be erected (subject to local council rules).”

    I don't know what the situation is in Hamilton, but David Bennett in Ham East has had his up since last week.

    Edit: From https://www.hamilton.govt.nz/our-council/Council_meetings_and_public_information/elections2016/Pages/Election-signs.aspx

    “Signs related to elections shall be displayed for no more than three months before election day”

    So dodgy David is doing a dirty?

  12. te reo putake 12
    22 June 2020 at 5:43 pm

    Kia ora, just thought I'd clarify something about the Alf Garnett wannabee I linked to in the post. He's a Christchurch based bigot, who is, ironically, virulently opposed to migration.

    I'm not going to name him, because he's on the same continuum that the Chch mosque shooter inhabits.

    The video shows him speaking in February 2019, one month before the massacre. Don't bother watching the whole video, the first few seconds are all you need. Watch the bloke holding the flag. That's recently jailed neo-Nazi Philip Arps making the throat cutting gesture.

    • Stunned Mullet 12.1
      22 June 2020 at 5:47 pm

      The massive crowd looks enthralled.

      • te reo putake 12.1.1
        22 June 2020 at 6:30 pm

        The far right in Chch are in a period of flux following the mosque massacres. I'm told the New Conservatives have tried to recruit otherwise unaffiliated white power enthusiasts, though without much success, because they're seen as weirdos. However, I understand the git in the video may be close to them.

    • The Al1en 12.2
      22 June 2020 at 6:10 pm

      Sounds like a scouser. I guess they can't all vote labour in the pool.

      Whip round to buy him a ticket home?

    • Ken 12.3
      23 June 2020 at 5:22 pm

      I suppose we're all expected to pay for this "troubled soul"s psychiatric treatment?

  14. adam 14
    23 June 2020 at 8:55 am

    Funny, but all the adds the national party are buying in local newspapers are not reported to electoral commission – thinking of you Shane Reti. Front page even…

  15. Billy Fish 15
    23 June 2020 at 3:50 pm

    Judging by the Twitter link posted,that wank wit who posted the video of his ragegasm is also Q-diot