The Vote Takahe campaign today denied that public money had been used to promote their Bird of the Year 2012 election campaign. Rival birds claimed yesterday that the following promotional video about Takahe had been made by a TV channel funded by public money:
Members of the Takahe campaign refused to come into the studio to answer this allegation, but the campaign did provide the following video response:
Experts in Takahe language have interpreted this statement to mean “Vote Takahe as Bird of the Year 2012!”, and you can do just that at the Bird of the Year site.
Some actual facts about takahe
- The takahē is an endangered flightless bird indigenous to New Zealand.
- Takahē once lived throughout the North and South Islands and were thought to be extinct until rediscovered by Geoffrey Orbell near Lake Te Anau in the Murchison Mountains, South Island in 1948.
- Today’s population is around 260 birds at various sites including the Murchison Mountains in Fiordland as well as the pest-free islands Tiritiri Matangi, Kapiti, Mana and Maud and mainland sanctuary of Maungatautiri, near Cambridge.
- Some takahē have lived for over 20 years in captivity, but in the wild few would live to more than 15 years of age.
- Since the 1980’s, DOC has been involved in managing takahē nests to boost the birds’ recovery. Artificial incubation of eggs and rearing of chicks is carried out at the Burwood Bush rearing unit, Te Anau, where five pairs are held to form a small breeding group.
(Taken from http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/AK1208/S00260/tiritiri-matangi-island-loses-iconic-bird.htm and posted in memory of Greg the Takahe, who died in August.)
You can read more about the Vote Takahe campaign here and join the campaign on Facebook.
So can foreigners vote in this? Surely not!And you do realise you're up against the more poetically famous albatross?That's an albatross around the takahe's neck…
Can foreigners vote? Yes! Should foreigners vote? Yes! Should foreigners with a massive love for the takahe overwhelm the New Zealand voters, voting again and again from a series of hastily constructed new email accounts until the takahe is so far in the lead that, for the sake of propriety and indeed propinquity, I ask them to knock it off a bit?You might think that – you might very well think that – but I couldn't possibly comment.
I have voted Takahe for Greg. I was very sad at his death earlier this year as I had several humorous encounters with him over the last few years. Takahe rock. Vote Takahe!
I'm glad you got to meet Greg, Nick – he sounds like a special bird. You dedication to the takahe cause does you credit!
Sorry, Tim, but it's time for the Hihi or Stitchbird this year. Our campaign slogan: \”With the Global Financial Crisis and a National Government, you need a good laugh – vote Hihi for Hee Hee!\”
Promos for other campaigns on my Vote Takahe post – I feel as though I've been stitched up 🙂