Notice Type
Authorities/Other Agencies of State
Notice Title

Allocations of Broadcasting Time and Funds

for the 2005 General Election
Notices are sought from political parties which consider themselves qualified for an allocation of broadcasting time or for an allocation of money appropriated by Parliament
for the purpose of broadcasting election programmes at the 2005 General Election.
Introduction
The Broadcasting Act 1989 (section references are to sections in that Act), describes the responsibilities of the Electoral Commission ("Commission") to allocate time and money to eligible political parties to enable them to broadcast election programmes during an election period.
The "election period" at an election is defined in section
69 as the period beginning with writ day and ending with the close of the day preceding polling day.
The Commission allocates to eligible political parties:
(a) the time that is made available by TVNZ and Radio New Zealand free of charge, in response to the requirement that each of them supply the Commission with a statement of the amount of such time that will be made available for the broadcasting of opening addresses and closing addresses.
(b) the money that is appropriated by Parliament for the purpose of enabling those parties to meet all or part of the costs of broadcasting election programmes during the election period.
Eligibility Criteria
Section 75 (1) provides that the Commission must not allocate any time to a political party under section 73, or make an allocation of money under 74A of the Act, in respect of an election period unless:
(a) that party was registered on the Register of Political Parties at the time of the dissolution of Parliament for the election or, as the case requires, at the time that Parliament expired; and
(b) that party has given to the Commission, in relation
to that election, a notice that complies with the requirements of sections 70A (3), 70B and 70C.
Section 75 (2) sets out the matters which the Commission
is to have regard to when allocating time or money to
a political party at a general election.
The date of the dissolution of Parliament for the general election will not be known until closer to the date of the general election.
Parties to Give Notice of Eligibility
Section 70A (1) requires the Commission to specify, by notice in the New Zealand Gazette, a date by which any political party that considers that it will qualify for an allocation of time under section 73 or of money under section 74A in respect of the election period that will apply for the 2005 General Election, must notify the Commission
in writing that it considers itself to be so qualified.
The Commission specifies Wednesday, 9 February 2005
as that date.
Section 70A (3) requires each political party that considers that it will so qualify to notify the Commission in writing that it considers itself to be so qualified.
The notice must be given to the Commission not later
than the date specified in this notice, i.e. 9 February 2005 (section 70B).
How Parties Give Notice
A notice may be given by mail, courier, facsimile or email, or it can be delivered by hand to the Commission's office.
Contents of Notice
Under section 70C, every notice given to the Commission must state, among other things:
(a) the full name of the political party; and
(b) the name and address of the person providing the notice and the capacity in which he or she provides the notice; and
(c) where the person providing the notice is not the secretary of the political party, the name and address of the secretary of the political party; ...
(e) details of any relationships that may exist between that political party and any other political parties in New Zealand which the Commission may need
to take into account in allocating time or money to political parties; and
(f) either:
(i) that the party is registered on the Register of Political Parties; or
(ii) that the party is intending to apply for registration on the Register of Political
Parties in order to be registered at the date
of dissolution or expiry of Parliament; and
(g) whether or not the political party intends to submit
a list under section 127 of the Electoral Act 1993 for the general election to be held in that year.
The current Parliament is due to expire on 14 August 2005.
Where to Give Notice
The Commission's postal address is P.O. Box 3050, Wellington.
The Commission is located at Level Six, Greenock House, 39 The Terrace, Wellington. Telephone: (04) 474 0670. Facsimile: (04) 474 0674. Email: catt@elections.govt.nz
Notices should be addressed to the Chief Executive of
the Commission.
Dated at Wellington this 13th day of January 2005.
DR H. CATT, Chief Executive, Electoral Commission.