Gallipoli show 'like concert in cemetery'

Helen Clark has compared holding a pop concert at Gallipoli to having a concert at a cemetery - undignified and disrespectful to the dead.

The Australian media and opposition parties in New Zealand have painted the Prime Minister as elitist after claims she vetoed Gallipoli performances in April by Australian music legend John Farnham.

But Helen Clark, whose great-uncle was killed at Anzac Cove, said she never rejected Farnham personally, but the concept of an entertainment event.

After taking the full force of criticism over the cancelled event, Helen Clark appeared on TVNZ's Close Up at 7 last night to defend her stance.

"I happen to have great respect for those who lost their lives at Gallipoli and I don't want myself to be seen to be part of an occasion which does not have dignity," she said.

"I don't really care whether it's classical, baroque or rock - it's a bit like having a concert in a cemetery."

Helen Clark said she had discussed a concert with Australian PM John Howard at the Apec conference last November, but did not know Farnham had been invited to sing at the 90th anniversary this year.

National leader Don Brash yesterday described her actions as "elitist and shortsighted".

"If Helen Clark was serious about protecting the memory of Gallipoli, she would encourage celebrations that appeal to [the] mainstream."

Act MP Rodney Hide said younger visitors to Gallipoli wanted the anniversary to reflect contemporary tastes.

"The thousands of Aussies and Kiwis who will trek to Gallipoli on April 25 will have Helen Clark to thank when the politically correct didgeridoo and posh string quartet come out."

But the Australian Government backed Helen Clark last night, saying she and Mr Howard had agreed at the Apec meeting in Chile not to have a concert at Gallipoli.

An Australian Government spokesman said both leaders had discussed the appropriate tone and symbolism for the Gallipoli commemorations.

Tim and Neil Finn, who were named in early media reports as being part of the concert, said they were "surprised and saddened" to have been linked to such a concert without their knowledge.

Farnham's manager, Glenn Wheatley, said the singer had been working on "appropriate" songs such as And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda and You'll Never Walk Alone.

The New Zealand Returned Services Association has also rallied behind the Prime Minister. Spokesman Bill Hopper said people did not go to Gallipoli to be entertained, they went to pay homage.

The Australian media have ripped into Helen Clark since it was revealed she had not heard of Farnham.

A spokesman from her office said last night: "She had no idea an artist called Johnny Farnham existed."

News.com.au said "transtasman relations took a savage and unexpected nosedive" after Helen Clark's office admitted she had never heard of a man the website described as the "blond singing behemoth who has brought so much joy to so many generations of Australians".

- additional reporting NZPA