Five months after it was requested under the Official Information Act, Callaghan Innovation has now released its 2016/17 entertainment expenses. The bill increased from the previous year, going from $304,675 to $308,969. It’s another long laundry list of taxpayer-funded purchases, largely of booze, fine dining, and flat whites for Callaghan...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union expresses gratitude on behalf of its 32,000 members and supporters to Rt Hon Bill English for his service to taxpayers. Under his tenure as Finance Minister and Prime Minister in 2008-2017, the burden on taxpayers reduced, with core Crown revenue as proportion of GDP cut from 32.6% to...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has today released the full breakdown (attached) of Callaghan Innovation’s entertainment expenses for 2015/16. Earlier this month, we revealed Callaghan spent $304,000 on ‘entertainment’ in 2015/16. We can now confirm this was mostly purchases at cafes, bars and restaurants, and we have obtained receipts and...
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that only 60% of seats were filled on the ratepayer subsidised Wellington-Canberra flight route, compared to an average of nearly 80% for all flights in and out of Australia. Figures published by the Australian Government in their international airline review for 2016/17 make...
The failure of Singapore Airlines' Wellington-Canberra route shows what an utter waste the route’s multi-million dollar subsidy has been. The Wellington-Canberra route should never have been subsidised in the first place. Now that the spending has proven to be a complete waste, you would expect WREDA (Wellington Regional Economic Development Agency)...
The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that a small government agency spent over $300,000 on ‘entertainment’ in 2015/16 – including a drag queen dinner and show for staff.The Union gained receipts for Callaghan Innovation’s entertainment purchases via the Official Information Act. From a laundry list of receipts from bars, cafes, and...
Often the best information comes from those inside the public service or local government. We guarantee your anonymity and your privacy. We ask for your contact details only so we can verify the information. We will usually use the information you provide to seek details under the Official Information Act from the relevant government department or council. To report government waste, you can use the form on this page or email tipline@taxpayers.org.nz.
One of the ways the Taxpayers' Union promote sensible restraint of government expenditure is by exposing and arguing for an end to corporate and union welfare.
We put the government – politicians, officials and taxpayer-funded groups on notice that taxpayer money should treated with care. We work hard to expose waste and extravagance paid for by the taxpayer.
We are New Zealanders who have formed a union to stand up for hardworking New Zealand taxpayers. We represent the common interests of all taxpayers and aim to become New Zealand's largest union.
We are not a political party, and we don't represent big business or special interests. Joining the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union only takes a few minutes and costs $5. Membership entitles you to attend our annual conference, AGM and other events, and to get regular communications from the Taxpayers' Union.
We rely on people just like you to support and donate to our cause to fight government waste. Our annual operating budget is currently smaller than the smallest trade union.
The Taxpayers' Union stands for value for money for government spending. We want our politicians spending money as if they'd worked as hard the taxpayers who earned it and argue that new taxes should only be introduced when there are equal decreases in other taxes. We believe in a fair and efficient tax system. We are not a political party, nor are we aligned to any.
We promote sensible restraint of government expenditure by:
Joining the Taxpayers' Union costs only $5 and entitles you to attend our annual conference, AGM and other events.
With your support we can make the Taxpayers' Union a strong voice exposing waste and standing up for Kiwi taxpayers.
Often the best information comes from those inside the public service or local government. We guarantee your anonymity and your privacy.
