14th September 2005

Kiwis Support Making Poverty History

More than 25,000 Kiwis are showing their support for the Make Poverty History campaign by wearing a white band. Many hundreds of people have also signed a message to all political parties to declare their support for the aims of the Make Poverty History campaign.

Kiwi celebrities, including Dave Dobbyn, Carly Binding and Frankie Stevens, have also come on board to support the campaign. Ironically, this has come at a time when the Make Poverty History ‘Click Ad’, featuring international celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Kylie Minogue and Cameron Diaz has come under attack in the UK.

The advert, directed by Richard Curtis (Love Actually, Bridget Jones) has banned from airing on UK television or radio by the UK advertising regulatory body, Ofcom, who have declared it to be political.

“We have reached the unavoidable conclusion that MPH is a body whose objects are 'wholly or mainly' political as defined under the Act. MPH is therefore prohibited from advertising on television or radio," Ofcom said on its Web site.
Barry Coates, Chair of Make Poverty History Aotearoa said "Ending absolute poverty that kills a child every three seconds is an issue that we regard as a moral commitment for all Kiwis. Acting on this commitment requires public awareness and participation to build support for government action.”

He denies that this advert is political “We do not regard the campaign as political, but at its essence it is a moral and ethical campaign, rather than a narrow party political issue. The campaign comes at an important time. World leaders are meeting to consider the action plan for poverty reduction, global security and United Nations reform. It is vital that New Zealand citizens have the opportunity to express their views."

The Make Poverty History campaign is hailed as the largest and most effective campaign in history. It is now running in over 70 countries with millions of people across the world wearing white bands.

Last Saturday, as part of an international day against poverty last Saturday, Kiwis across the country took part in actions to send a message to the government demanding that they remember the UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals that begins today.

ENDS

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