A satirical song that poked fun at Prime Minister John Key was not an election advertisement or programme and it was wrong of the Electoral Commission to ban it, a High Court has ruled.
In a decision released today, Judge Clifford of the Wellington High Court found that the Planet Key song by soul and blues star Darren Watson was not election material.
The song's video features Mr Key playing a stinging blues guitar solo on an endangered Maui's dolphin while an oil rig explodes in the background.
It also depicts Finance Minister Bill English carrying Mr Key's golf clubs and the Prime Minister plays golf with Barack Obama.
In the lead-up to last year's election the commission banned television and radio broadcasts of the song and said it was also considering whether it was an election advertisement which would require a promoter statement to be carried in online video versions.
