Fourth Estate Should Report the News - Not Create It

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling out The Wairarapa Times Age for overstepping the line between journalism and political activism after it publicly endorsed council amalgamation in Wairarapa, stated it will be lobbying candidates and dismissed public input as irrelevant.

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Sam Warren said:

“When local journalists start telling communities their voices don’t matter, they stop being part of the fourth estate and start acting like political lobbyists.”

“The role of the media is to inform and scrutinise, not push a political agenda. It’s not the job of editors to decide how local government should be structured, especially when they openly admit they don’t trust the public to decide for themselves.”

“Calls for amalgamation are often pushed by council insiders with no understanding of what communities actually want or need.”

“The Auckland Super City was supposed to deliver savings and efficiency. What it delivered was higher rates, more bureaucracy, and less local control. And now the same elite voices want to repeat the same mistake in Wairarapa.”

“We urge journalists to stick to reporting the facts and let communities decide how they want to be governed.”