'Win a wife' competition in New Zealand sparks outrage

The competition in which the winner will fly to Ukraine and be given the chance to pick a bride from an agency has been severely criticised across the nation. The winner of the contest, launched by MediaWork's station 'The Rock', which is broadcast nationwide - will also get 12 nights' accommodation and USD NZ2000 (USD 1,521) spending money, according to media reports.

On its website, the company acknowledged that some people will get "their panties in a twist over this one". A social activist Sue Bradford said the contest "takes commercial radio to new depths".

"It is unusual and somewhat disturbing that a commercial entity would commercialise what should be one of the most meaningful human relationships and actually offer it as a prize for a radio show," she said.

The promotion began on Monday and ends on February 28, with five finalists to be subjected to character assessment from friends and family, and psychometric testing and suitability for marriage testing by a psychologist appointed by MediaWorks.

The prize does not include travel for the Ukraine woman to come to New Zealand. The Rock programme director, Brad King told the New Zealand news agency NZ Press Association that the competition was "a bit of a laugh".

"At the end of the day, it's up to both people if they decide to get married and return to New Zealand. We're not actually marrying anyone or bringing women back to New Zealand," he said.