Muted opposition to super ad campaign

National and the Greens are opposing the Government's $1 million taxpayer-funded campaign promoting the New Zealand Superannuation fund, but for different reasons.

National's superannuation spokesman Gerry Brownlee has written to the Auditor General alleging that the campaign doesn't meet the guidelines for Government advertising, although this campaign was vetted and approved by the Auditor General.

Brownlee reckons that because the fund isn't supported by "anything like the full support of Parliament", the campaign can be deemed to be promoting the political views of the Labour party.

He also says that the campaign is neither accurate, factual nor truthful as it doesn't talk about the risks involved in the fund.

"Some of the contentions made in the advertising about the potential for smoothing future costs are in fact neither factual or accurate," he says in his letter to the Auditor General.

"If the statements, or claims, were presented in a truthful manner then surely some of the risks involved in the fund should have been equally stated?"

Brownlee also said that the ads fail another test: fairness, honesty and impartiality, because no contestable view is promoted.

Greens co-leader Rod Donald says the ads are probably legal, but are wrong because they don't tell the whole story. He also says the Government shouldn't be running a campaign like this in election year.

"The ads do not tell people that the success of the fund depends on it making more money on the international share market than it costs the Government to borrow for its capital needs," he says.

Donald also renews his attack on investing offshore, saying that buying international shares is the equivalent of "gambling on the global sharemarket."

The campaign finishes on Saturday.