Posted on 9-10-2003

Hang On Helen

The call for New Zealand to keep GE organisms in the laboratory becomes
more tuneful this week as some of the country’s top singers and musicians
give voice to a postcard campaign asking Prime Minister Helen Clark to
‘Hang On Helen’ and not lift the moratorium on the release of GE crops.

Organised by the econation2020 Trust, New Zealanders are being offered a
chance to receive a free CD, featuring top Kiwi acts, if they send a
postcard to the PM saying ‘Hang On Helen’. This initiative asks the Prime
Minister to ‘hang on’ for five more years before lifting the moratorium on
the release of genetically engineered crops. All concerned citizens and
music lovers are invited to claim a free CD and get your message to the
Prime Minister’s office. The user friendly 2-fold postcards are included in
copies of this week’s NZ Listener and Cuisine magazines, and can also be
downloaded from www.econation2020.org.nz

The 170,000 postcards have been issued in both direct-to-subscribers as
well as on-the-shelf issues of the NZ Listener that went on sale Sunday
October 5, and also in all subscriber copies of Cuisine magazine. Readers
simply tear off a pre-paid, pre-addressed section of the postcard, sign it
and drop it into the post to the PM. Then, by tearing off and sending the
bottom half of the same postcard, also pre-paid to econation2020,
participants stand to receive one of the 5000 free ‘Hang On Helen’ CD’s.
econation2020 Executive Director Brendan Hoare said the initiative was
aimed at those who felt frustrated about the politicised nature of GE
issue, but who shared econation2020’s vision for GE-free, sustainable,
pure, clean and green New Zealand. "It’s our intention that this initiative
be a spirited expression of culture," he said. "The majority of New
Zealanders don’t want the moratorium lifted. We want the government to know
it’s OK to do what the people want on this issue ­ maintain the
moratorium." The artists featured on the CD had contributed to the project
by donating their music; "the depth of feeling and passion for protecting
our clean, green image amongst the artists took us by surprise, it’s an
extremely diverse compilation representing the groundswell of opposition
right across the music community", said Kim Hegan, Executive Producer of
‘Hang on Helen’ CD & Trustee, econation2020. Artists involved include:
Mahinarangi Tocker, Nesian Mystic, Rubicon, Verse Two, Debbie Harwood,
Rikki Morris, Che Fu, Darcy Clay, Moana (Please refer to full track listing
attached).

‘Hang On Helen’, campaign is proudly supported by Gold Sponsor
ecostore, Auckland-based retailer & distributor to supermarkets and
healthy lifestyle stores throughout NZ. Malcolm Rands, director of ecostore
said, "ecostore is a company that invests strongly in R & D. We know that
there is so much work to be done in safe bio-science. NZ could become a
world center of excellence and have the right sort of scientists coming to
work here from around the world. New Zealand, the home of safe
bio-science!" he concluded. This is a viewpoint passionately shared by Hang
On Helen campaign Silver Sponsor, Living Nature, ecostore supplier and a
market leader in the production of 100% pure precious NZ plants and honeys
blended to create healthy synthetic-free skin care. For further
information:

Diana Goulding MediaMix 09 307 8864 or 021 33 11 03

Brendan
Hoare, Executive Director, econation2020 Trust 025 2888 618

Kim Hegan
econation2020 Trust 021 276 9666