What is NZ Election Ads?
NZ Election Ads has been adapted from ElectionLeaflets.org.au and ElectionLeaflets.org. This website functions as an archive for students, researchers, and the public, allowing easy access to election ads so you can analyse them for your research.
We rely on your help to copy and send to us what you see in your letterbox, newspaper or social media newsfeed. You can submit ads to us via nzelectionads@gmail.com or Twitter.
We are also constantly looking at ways to improve this project and website, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us with your feedback.
How do I keep track of when new ads are uploaded?
You can receive updates about new ads by following us on Twitter.
How do I send in ads?
All content can be sent to us via nzelectionads@gmail.com or Twitter. If files are large, or you want to send us something physical, we can make specific arrangements.
Can candidates and party activists send in ads?
Yes, we encourage candidates and those involved in parties’ campaigns to send in their election ads.
Do you accept ads from old election campaigns?
Absolutely! We have ads stretching back to 1907.
How do you determine what is an election ad?
We generally only upload content that would be considered an election ad under s 3(a) of the Electoral Act 1993. We have a specific focus on collecting and uploading ads published by parties and candidates during the regulated campaign period as specified under s 3(b) of the Electoral Act 1993.
At this stage, we do not actively collect and upload promotional material containing the Parliamentary Crest, even if it does meet the definition of an election ad under s 3(a).
On occasion, however, Parliamentary Services funded promotional material may be uploaded on the site (this is particularly the case if we’re putting up ads from old campaigns). If you’re using the site for research purposes, please be mindful of this when selecting any ad content for analysis!
If you’re unsure whether something you want to send to us is an ad or not, just send it in anyway.
Do you have every ad from every source in every campaign?
Definitely not! While we aim to collect as many ads as possible from a wide variety of sources and campaigns, this archive, while comprehensive, is very much a work in progress. Please keep in mind if using this site for research purposes that there may some gaps in content and that more recent elections are likely to contain a larger collection of ads.
Is this project affiliated to or supported by any political party?
No. While individuals involved in this project may have political affiliations, this site is run completely independently from any party, candidate or campaign. NZ Election Ads does, however, contact parties and candidates directly during election campaigns and asks them to send us their campaign ads.
Then why am I only seeing Party A’s ads on the site and none from Party B?
If a particular party’s ads are over-represented on this site it is completely unintentional. Over-representation of a party’s content occasionally happens because: a) a party produces more ads than its opponents; b) the ads are more accessible to us (e.g. the party has uploaded all their billboards onto their website); or c) the party, candidate or supporters are more responsive to our requests for copies of their ads.