Wellington - A New Zealand television channel has removed billboards promoting an upcoming programme following complaints by the local Jewish community, a newspaper reported on Thursday.

The Prime Television billboards, in Auckland and Wellington streets, promoted Madmen: The Glory Years of Advertising, and bore the slogan: "Advertising Agency Seeks: Clients. All business considered, even from Jews."

"The wisdom of the entire project defies belief," Geoff Levy, chairman of the New Zealand Jewish Council, told the Dominion Post.

"Long ago we moved on from this sort of language, but obviously not. In these days of 60 years plus since the Second World War, I never thought it would come again let alone to New Zealand."

The offending advertisements also appeared over two pages in the latest local edition of Time magazine.

Levy said Prime had removed the billboards quickly and if the council received a written apology and a two-page apology in the next issue of Time the matter would be resolved.

Prime Television spokesman Tony O'Brien said the campaign, which was designed to mirror "archaic" 1960s' attitudes in the show was an error of judgment by the marketing department.

"The campaign crossed the line from being provocative to being offensive," he said. (dpa)