Prime Minister John Key has just one beef with a Television New Zealand promo featuring Finance Minister Bill English -- "they didn't ask me".
The 45-second ad, running on all TVNZ's channels, promotes a new series called Focus on the Economy.
It features Mr English and has outraged the Labour Party, which says it is more like a party political broadcast.But Mr Key, in Japan promoting a free trade agreement and tourism, said he had no concerns about the ad.
"Not in the slightest. (I'm) just disappointed they didn't ask me," he said.Focus on the Economy will screen on TVNZ 7 and the ad has been running since October 18 on TV One, TV2, TVNZ 6 and TVNZ 7.
Mr Key said TVNZ approached Mr English to appear."Bill was happy to do that, he's always great talent and he's got a good story to tell about the New Zealand economy and the leadership role he's playing in it," he said.
"It sounds like it's beneficial to TVNZ in the promotion of their programme, so good on them."Labour finance spokesman David Cunliffe said the ad was a "significant subsidy" to the Government using a state broadcaster and demanded equal TVNZ air time -- worth about $1 million.
"It looks and feels like propaganda, it looks like an election campaign's already started," he said.Labour's broadcasting spokesman, Brendon Burns, and Mr Cunliffe yesterday wrote to TVNZ asking it to pull the ad but the network has rejected claims the ad promoted the National Party.
"There's no way it is party political," said TVNZ spokeswoman Megan Richards."The fact is the finance minister, who obviously is a key figure in discussions around the economy, happens to have a name that lends itself to a bit of fun."
The ad promises to translate the economy into "plain English" so people can understand it.Ms Richards said National wasn't getting free advertising and Mr English had been chosen because of his role.
But Massey University political marketing specialist Claire Robinson told NZPA it strongly favoured National and was so unbalanced it shouldn't be on air.
