We’d love your creative feedback on where you, the atheists of New Zealand, would love to see the messages. We’d even love to hear what message you think would best start discussions about the legitimacy of non-belief…
Continue Reading 10 comments 26.02.10
There’s been a flurry of media activity over the past two days since we announced that NZ Bus is rejecting the Campaign’s ads, and thereby trying to silence a positive atheist message in public. Here’s a brief selection of the coverage…
First off we have the Stuff/Dominion Post coverage of the story, complete with poll. The poll results are rather interesting, with 93.4% of respondents (when last checked) saying that this decision by NZ Bus to reject the ads is “unfair and discriminatory” (standard Internet poll qualifications apply of course).
Next we have the Stuff/NZPA article, which also includes a link to the TVNZ Breakfast video. There’s also the TV3 Sunrise article and video which follows a similar line.
In the blog world, No Right Turn thinks the decision is “blatantly unlawful” and calls for concerned people to communicate their thoughts to NZ Bus. There’s also a great post from a fellow called Frank, an “unashamed Christian” who while obviously not supporting the exact message of the Campaign, supports our right to get it out there. And last but not least, Brian Edwards summarises the recent events and astutely notes “the sure and certain fact that nothing can draw more attention to a commercial than banning it.”
10 comments 25.02.10
Example ad image from the UK Campaign (thanks Jon Worth)
The NZ Atheist Bus Campaign, which late last year raised in excess of $20,000 from public donations, has met a set back in their plans. Nationwide bus company NZ Bus, who had tentatively approved the campaign’s ads on buses in major city centres, have now rejected them.
NZ Bus stated that they have received a number of complaints from the public about the proposed ads, which read “There’s probably no god. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.”
Spokesperson for the Atheist Bus Campaign Simon Fisher says “It’s concerning that peaceful atheist messages are not allowed on buses while religious messages are often seen on buses and in public. Messages of atheism are rare in New Zealand and we aim to raise awareness for the one-third of New Zealanders who are unconvinced by the claims of religion.”
Organisers of the Campaign tried to reach a resolution with NZ Bus, and later attempted mediation sessions through the Human Rights Commission. NZ Bus refused to participate in these mediation sessions. Because they are refusing to discuss the matter and reach an agreement, the organisers of the Campaign are now investigating the possibility of taking this case to the Human Rights Review Tribunal.
Simon Fisher says “we’re disappointed at the response from NZ Bus and plan to look at options going forward. We owe it to the thousands of Kiwis who have supported this campaign with donations and messages of support.”
Advertisements with identical wording ran in the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and Spain. Similar campaigns also ran successfully in Croatia, Finland, Holland, Italy, America and across the Tasman in Australia.
“We are gravely concerned that in New Zealand we’re unable to present an atheistic message, showing that we do not have the same practical freedom of expression as in other first world countries. It highlights why this campaign is so necessary.” said spokesperson Simon Fisher.
The Campaign will continue to accept donations for advertising, see http://www.nogod.org.nz for further details.
97 comments 23.02.10
This is a brief announcement to say that we’re still here, and we’re still committed to getting atheist ads on buses!
We are currently in negotiations with the bus and ad companies, and the administrative side of things is taking longer than expected. We hope to be able to tell you more details in the near future and provide a solid time frame for the buses.
Thank you again for your ongoing support. The many positive messages we have received from New Zealanders have been a great confirmation of the worth of this project. We can’t wait to get the actual ads out there!
Stay tuned…
14 comments 2.02.10
After you donate you are able to enter a Comment. In this comment write the city in which you'd like to see billboards.
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