The Advertising Standards Authority is assessing complaints it has received regarding a billboard campaign attacking Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick and MP Tamatha Paul.

Billboards targeting the two Green Party members popped up in central Auckland and central Wellington last week as part of a campaign led by the Sensible Sentencing Trust.

One in Wellington displayed a picture of Paul, also the Wellington Central MP, next to the words “Defund the Police” – a reference to Paul’s recent comments speculating whether some police functions could be taken over by other entities.

It also used a “Vote Green” slogan that was very similar to the party’s election campaign slogans.

The second was almost identical but had “Woop Woop! DEFUND DA POLICE” written on it. It’s likely the billboard was a nod to Paul’s use of Sound of da Police by rapper KRS-One during a DJ set at CubaDupa late last month.

The same billboards with Swarbrick’s profile could be seen in Auckland Central, where Swarbrick is also the local MP.

The billboards initially featured photos of Paul that were used during the 2023 election campaign. The images were later changed after the party and photographer raised concerns about a copyright breach.

Advertising Standards Authority chief executive Hilary Souter acknowledged the agency had received complaints but couldn’t comment further, given its assessment process was ongoing.

The organisation behind the billboards, the Sensible Sentencing Trust, often advocated for harsher crime policy, such as Three Strikes.

Spokeswoman Louise Parsons said the campaign was intended to convince the public that Green Party policies didn’t sufficiently support crime victims.

Swarbrick, in a statement last week, said her party advocated for “real, evidence-based debate on policy”.

“Are we willing to have a rational, calm discussion about how to genuinely make our communities safer, or will we stay stuck in the knee-jerk shock politics?

“It’s clear right-wing organisations and political parties are keen to shut down any civil discussion about where things have gone wrong and how we could improve – so much for being free speech advocates.”

Adam Pearse is the Deputy Political Editor and part of the NZ Herald’s Press Gallery team based at Parliament in Wellington. He has worked for NZME since 2018, reporting for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei and the Herald in Auckland.