2025 Jonesie Awards for Government Waste Winners Announced

The Taxpayers' Union's annual Jonesie Awards (the Jonesies) today have once again shone a light on the 'best of the worst' of Government waste. Hosted in Parliament's Legislative Council Chamber, there were laughs, there were tears, and there was more competition than ever for our coveted Golden Hogs.

You can watch the ceremony here.

Since 2018, the Jonesies - modelled on the Canadian Taxpayers' Federation's 'Teddies' hosted at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa - have awarded councils, departments, and politicians for the most weird and wacky waste throughout the year. 

Commenting on the event, Taxpayers' Union Spokesman, Jordan Williams, said:

"From whalesong to training wheels, officials boozing up and lessons in sitting down - this year's Jonesies had it all."

"$4 million Whalesong FM for sick kauri trees was music to the ears of the awards committee, and Ayesha Verrall takes the prize for central government waste in approving the spend as the former Minister of Science and Innovation."

"Another shiny plaything will be adorning the trophy shelf in Hastings District Council. Congratulations to the kids running the show."

"Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau was miles ahead of the competition for the Lifetime Achievement Award – and with her shiny new golden bicycle, she'll be a tough one to catch."

"Congratulations to all our winners this year, but we've barely scratched the surface of Government waste, so look forward to seeing our contestants again next year."
 
Local Government Nominees:

1. Auckland Transport (taking ratepayers for a ride): Auckland Transport has found another way to take ratepayers for a ride. In order to convince people to start using their empty cycleways. Auckland Transport spent more than $450,000 on 'free' bike riding lessons...for adults.

2. Hastings Council (Where the kids are in charge): After Hastings Council purchased a $1 million earthquake-prone building only to sell it off 3 months later for only $150k, the Council needed a rebrand. Unfortunately, this new campaign rebrand cost ratepayers more than $70,000. With their new save-face campaign falling flat on its face, the council tried a new strategy: paying to put the kids in charge.

3. Auckland Unlimited (For helping Auckland find its happiness): In a misguided attempt to make Aucklanders happier about their city, Auckland Unlimited decided to spend $737,000 of ratepayer money on a video of a half-naked guy from Finland.

4. Auckland Council ($263,000 for a few (mis)(steps)): A $263,000 price tag has Auckland ratepayers asking if the council was building a stairway to heaven. With an average cost of $8,200 per step, the build is sure to "make you wonder".

5. Metlink ($1.3 million for seven luxurious loos): Instead of shoring up their shortage of bus drivers, Metlink decided to build seven toilets - exclusively for the use of bus drivers - with each one coming with an average pricetag of $185,000. Take a look at these diamond-encrusted dunnies.


The 2025 Winner for Local Government Waste - Hastings District Council!

 
Central Government Nominees:

1. Ayesha Verrall (Healing trees with whale sounds): Former Minister of Science, Innovation and Technology Ayesha Verrall handed millions of taxpayer dollars to practice new, ground-breaking, revolutionary science - healing kauri trees with whale sounds. The Taxpayers' Union is anxiously waiting to find out exactly how many trees have been saved.

2. NZ Film Commission (For parties and propaganda): From funding Ardern and Swarbrick's propaganda documentaries, to having four back-to-back parties within a fortnight. Add on their yearly Hollywood booze-ups at the Cannes Film Festival, and the Film Commission have really been rolling out the red carpet this year.

3. NZTA (A giant cone-spiracy): The Transport Agency has cone-spired to spend more than $786 million on road cones and lollipop signs. Are they trying to build roads, or just trying to block them?

4. MBIE (For wasteful workshops): MBIE has commissioned more than a million dollars' worth of exclusive workshops for staffers. Whether it's white privilege, learning how to sit, or studying the algorithms of whiteness...the war against work never stops at this government ministry.

5. Creative NZ (for having fun "dancing"): Now we all know art is subjective. But subjecting taxpayers to pay $75k for a video that received only 60 views seems a little much. So the Taxpayers' Union has decided to help out by bringing this masterpiece to a wider audience.


The 2025 Winner for Central Government Waste - Dr Ayesha Verrall
 

2025 Lifetime Achievement in Waste Award: Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau

This year’s winner has experience with wasting money not only in her current position but also during her three years at the eye-wateringly wasteful Film Commission. This was followed with a position in the Green Party. This year’s winner of the Lifetime Achievement Award is Wellington Mayor Tory Whanau!

And she hasn’t slowed down. Since she was elected Mayor in 2022, Whanau has wasted more of ratepayers' money. Whether it was the Town Hall tab coming to a tremendous $4,000 per household, a planned $30 million dollar fence along Wellington’s idyllic waterfront, Ms. Whanau has shown time and time again why she is a deserving recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

But no matter her $189,000 salary or her famous 2003 lotto win, Ms. Whanau consistently reminds us how not only is she wasteful of others' money, but how she is wasteful of her own as well.

In an interview earlier this year, the mayor said that due to the tough times brought on presumably from her continually rising rates, she had to ‘sell her car’. After her car-selling sob story, the Taxpayers' Union uncovered a more than half a million-dollar taxpayer-funded bike rack installed just outside the mayor’s office, but there was one problem: despite the cost, no one was using it!

So, on the recommendation of Porky the Waste Hater, the waste-watching academy at the Taxpayers’ Union has decided to award a gift fitting of both the waste and grift Tory Whanau has imposed on the ratepayers of Wellington.