NZ Herald 11 Dec 2012
Electricity company Powershop says a billboard depicting Pope Benedict XVI marrying a male couple is not targeted at Catholics. The four-and-a-half storey billboard is part of a campaign by Powershop, with the slogan “Same Power, Different Attitude”. The signs have recently been put up in central Auckland and Wellington. Powershop chief executive Ari Sargent said it had received a mostly positive reaction from the public. The billboard’s message of freedom of choice and equality aligned with the company’s values, he said. He said the billboard was not targeted at Catholics “per se”, but the Pope was an analogy of big power companies.
…..Powershop is owned by state-owned Meridian and lobby group Right to Life said it was inappropriate for it to be involved in politics and taking a position on the Bill. Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr said Minister of State Owned Enterprises Tony Ryall should instruct Meridian Energy to have the “highly offensive” billboard removed immediately. But Mr Sargent said it was “a bit of a stretch” to say that a few public billboards were going to influence public opinion.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10853332
