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Politics

‘Yeah nah’ response to Act Party’s ‘Yeah right’ meme

The Act Party's mock billboard that's got offside with beer brand Tui. Photo / Act Party Facebook

The Act Party has found itself in a comical stoush with Tui after it co-opted the beer brand’s “Yeah right” tagline to take a swipe at the University of Auckland.

The university, which dropped out of the world’s top 150 universities this week, has upset the political party with its plans to make a course teaching knowledge of the Treaty of Waitangi compulsory for all first-year students next year.

With Tui this week reviving its “Yeah right” billboards after nearly a decade, Act jumped at the opportunity to mock up a billboard of its own.

Photoshopped behind a University of Auckland sign and shared to Act’s socials on Friday, the mock billboard read: “Compulsory Treaty courses will get Auckland Uni back into the top 150,″ alongside Tui’s “Yeah right” slogan.

Tui clapped back soon afterward.

Photo / Act Party Facebook

“Hey ACT, keep my beers’ name out of your mouth,” Tui wrote.

The comment below Act’s Facebook post was a reference to actor Will Smith’s standoff with comedian Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars.

The beer brand then doubled-down with a fresh billboard on its socials.

Photo / @tui_the_brand / Instagram

“Tui, the official beer of ACT - Yeah right,” its post read.

Act wasn’t done either, adding a comment under Tui’s post.

Photo / @tui_the_brand / Instagram

“Week 1 of your brave new reboot, and we already found a truth you’re afraid to tell,” Act wrote.

Unsurprisingly, there’s been a good deal of commentary in response. This includes those that don’t see a problem with Act’s pretend billboard.

“ACT party on point with superb logic presented in a very humorous way,” wrote one supporter.

“It’s almost like we should have a public vote on what the treaty actually stands for?” said another.

Then there are the clearly unimpressed.

“Act is a joke,” one person wrote.

While another person said, “Always a racist post by ACT ... trying to be inflammatory instead of conciliatory. Sad bunch really.”

Either way, some enjoyed the sparring.

“Marketing team needs a raise,” one person shared.