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  1. Taxpayer Update: Willis shuts the door on asset sales 🚪 | Bureaucracy’s $52k goodbye 💸 | Blakeley under pressure 🚨

    Hi,The silly season officially starts when Parliament rises next week for the election. So rather than just moan about all the "bad" things politicians are promising, we've set out the "good" in what we're calling our Taxpayer Manifesto - a set of policies to set our country on course for...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: Willis shuts the door on asset sales 🚪 | Bureaucracy’s $52k goodbye 💸 | Blakeley under pressure 🚨

  3. Taxpayer Manifesto Sets Five Bottom Lines For Next Government

    The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched its Taxpayer Manifesto 2026, setting out five bottom lines it wants every political party seeking to form the next Government to address.The manifesto is designed as both an election checklist and a starting point for coalition negotiations after 7 November.Taxpayers’ Union Executive...

    Read more about Taxpayer Manifesto Sets Five Bottom Lines For Next Government

  6. Bribe-O-Meter Week 2: Labour and Opportunity spend big, while Greens go to ground

    Bribe-O-Meter Week 2: Labour and Opportunity spend big, while Greens go to groundLabour has topped the second week of the Taxpayers’ Union’s Bribe-O-Meter, announcing around $421 million of new spending commitments, while most parties have kept their powder dry.Labour’s promise to increase KiwiSaver employer contributions and continue contributions...

    Read more about Bribe-O-Meter Week 2: Labour and Opportunity spend big, while Greens go to ground

  7. Labour’s Price Gouging Plan Ignores the Cause

    Labour’s plan to outlaw excessive prices risks regulating the symptom instead of fixing the lack of competition causing it, says Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Rhys Hurley:“Labour is right that New Zealand has serious competition problems. But if businesses can sustain excessive prices because competitors aren’t challenging them, the answer...

    Read more about Labour’s Price Gouging Plan Ignores the Cause

  8. Willis talks bracket creep: here’s what the tax brackets should be

    Responding to Nicola Willis’s comments that National will address bracket creep, the Taxpayers’ Union says the 30 percent income tax threshold should already be $56,801.95 and the 33 percent threshold $82,920.23. The figures come from the our briefing paper The Inflation Tax, which shows where income tax thresholds would sit...

    Read more about Willis talks bracket creep: here’s what the tax brackets should be

  9. Greens can’t keep hiding behind Parliamentary secrecy

    The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Green Party co-leader Chlöe Swarbrick to waive the secrecy afforded to her under Parliament’s OIA carve-out and release the Parliamentary Library costings behind the party’s $1.3 billion KiwiMart acquisition claim.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“The Greens’ KiwiMart numbers clearly don’t add up....

    Read more about Greens can’t keep hiding behind Parliamentary secrecy

  10. Watts makes bad Local Government Bill worse

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the Government’s move to strip unelected Independent Māori Statutory Board members of voting powers, but says its latest Amendment Paper will kill off councillors’ ability to govern effectively.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“Council voting rights should belong to people elected by ratepayers. The...

    Read more about Watts makes bad Local Government Bill worse

  13. Who Needs Another Layer of Arts Bureaucracy? Time to Scrap Creative NZ

    The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Creative New Zealand to be abolished after the agency revealed plans to hand responsibility for distributing up to $40 million a year to a new network of regional organisations.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, Rhys Hurley, said:“Creative NZ has accidentally designed the case for its...

    Read more about Who Needs Another Layer of Arts Bureaucracy? Time to Scrap Creative NZ

  14. Labour taxes jobs instead of fixing Super

    Labour’s KiwiSaver policy would make employing New Zealanders more expensive while dodging the growing cost of Super altogether, says Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks:“Super is forecast to cost taxpayers $12,790-per-household this year, with costs expected to almost triple by 2048. That is the retirement problem politicians should be...

    Read more about Labour taxes jobs instead of fixing Super

  15. Taxpayer Update: Election debates return 🗳️ | Who costed CommieMart? 📚 | ACT takes aim at the carbon tax 🏭

    Hi,Before we get into this week's Taxpayer Update, a big thank you for all the feedback on our 2026 Election Bribe-O-Meter.We can see from the web traffic (and the social media posts) that it is already proving popular. 🙌Two political parties have also been in touch to clarify various policy...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: Election debates return 🗳️ | Who costed CommieMart? 📚 | ACT takes aim at the carbon tax 🏭

  16. Taxpayer Talk: Grover Norquist on No New Taxes and holding politicians to it

      This week, Jordan is joined by Grover Norquist, founder of Americans for Tax Reform and the man behind the original Taxpayer Protection Pledge, to talk about how a simple promise not to raise taxes became one of the most powerful forces in American conservative politics.With both National and...

    Read more about Taxpayer Talk: Grover Norquist on No New Taxes and holding politicians to it

  17. REVEALED: NZ First Welfare Stand-Down Will Save Millions In Auckland Alone

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming New Zealand First’s policy to introduce a 10-year welfare stand-down period for visa holders, with an Official Information Act request showing that this policy would save at least $19.19 million in Auckland Metro alone.New Zealand First’s policy would make all non-citizens ineligible for...

    Read more about REVEALED: NZ First Welfare Stand-Down Will Save Millions In Auckland Alone

  18. Justice Committee backs scrapping postal voting

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the Justice Committee’s call for urgent reform of local election voting, saying the Government must act now to protect confidence in our democracy.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Tyler Groenewald, said:“The Justice Committee has called postal voting ‘no longer fit for purpose’. That should be the...

    Read more about Justice Committee backs scrapping postal voting

  19. Surging OIA Complaints Show Need for Armchair Audits

    The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for councils and government agencies to proactively publish their spending online following another increase in complaints to the Ombudsman over information requests.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:“Complaints against government agencies have risen again to 1,244 in just six months, while complaints against...

    Read more about Surging OIA Complaints Show Need for Armchair Audits

  20. 2026 Election "Bribe-O-Meter" Launched

    After a nine year absence, the Taxpayers’ Union has relaunched its policy costing "Bribe-O-Meter" for the 2026 election, with the first update showing the Greens have already promised $114,139 per household in new spending.The Bribe-O-Meter is the most comprehensive independent policy costing project undertaken in New Zealand. It cuts through the...

    Read more about 2026 Election "Bribe-O-Meter" Launched

  21. Winding Up Waitangi Tribunal Saves Taxpayers Millions

    Welcoming ACT’s policy to complete outstanding historical Treaty claims and disestablish the Waitangi Tribunal once that work is finished, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“ACT’s plan would still allow the remaining historical claims to be completed, while ending contemporary inquiries that drag taxpayers into costly legal fights over...

    Read more about Winding Up Waitangi Tribunal Saves Taxpayers Millions

  22. PSA STRIKE: Higher-Paid Public Servants Down Tools for Even Higher Pay

    The Taxpayers' Union is calling out public servants earning an average of $103,300 a year for going on strike for more pay, despite already being paid $17,600 more than the average private sector worker.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Rhys Hurley said:“It takes a certain amount of nerve to earn $17,600...

    Read more about PSA STRIKE: Higher-Paid Public Servants Down Tools for Even Higher Pay

  23. Deloitte recycled our homework - ratepayers must get a refund

    The Taxpayers’ Union says Wellington ratepayers deserve their money back after Deloittecharged $435,000 for a report containing major errors.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tyler Groenewald said:“Charging $435,000 for a report, getting the numbers wrong, then refusing to commit to a refund is quite the business model.“Deloitte used figures from an...

    Read more about Deloitte recycled our homework - ratepayers must get a refund

  25. Labour breaks ‘one new tax’ promise again with ETS hike

    Chris Hipkins has once again failed to stick to his “one new tax” promise, with Labour now proposing to deliberately drive up the carbon price through the ETS.Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks said:“Hipkins has spent weeks insisting that capital gains tax is the only new tax Labour...

    Read more about Labour breaks ‘one new tax’ promise again with ETS hike

  26. Voters from the afterlife show postal voting has to go

    The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union says allegations of widespread ballot theft and fraudulent voting in Manurewa show why local elections should move to in-person voting.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, James Ross, said:“A letter box will never be as secure as a ballot box. Democratic accountability depends on elections being fair...

    Read more about Voters from the afterlife show postal voting has to go

  27. Speaker must explain dodgy CommieMart costing and taxpayer-funded Green electioneering

    The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Speaker to intervene over the Parliamentary Library’s extraordinarily low costing of the Greens’ plan to nationalise 120 supermarkets and two distribution centres.The Greens' policy announcement cites a Parliamentary Library estimate for their claimed acquisition cost of just $1.3 billion, before another $1.5 billion...

    Read more about Speaker must explain dodgy CommieMart costing and taxpayer-funded Green electioneering

  28. Taxpayer Update: NEW POLL Labour, Opportunity take a tumble 📉 | Chlöe's CommieMart 🤡 | LGNZ employs bogus rates-cap numbers 🧮

    Dear Supporter,It was a huge weekend in terms of election policy - and it's also a big Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll, hot off the press.Two months out from the election and it looks like Opportunity’s, well, opportunity, may have passed. Both National and Labour slump - Labour plummets this month...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: NEW POLL Labour, Opportunity take a tumble 📉 | Chlöe's CommieMart 🤡 | LGNZ employs bogus rates-cap numbers 🧮

  29. ACT right to stop exporting Kiwi jobs with carbon tax

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming ACT’s plan to reform New Zealand’s climate policy, including cutting the carbon tax, returning ETS revenue to households and protecting Kiwi businesses competing against overseas producers with lower carbon costs.Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Rhys Hurley, said:“ACT is recognising pushing production offshore to countries with...

    Read more about ACT right to stop exporting Kiwi jobs with carbon tax

  30. Greens’ CommieMart plan won't fix supermarket competition

    Responding to the Greens’ plan for a publicly owned supermarket chain, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“This is looking less like KiwiMart and more like CommieMart. Seizing firms’ assets whether they want to sell or not will obviously send would-be investors running for the hills.”“New York is already...

    Read more about Greens’ CommieMart plan won't fix supermarket competition

  32. REVEALED: ACT’s infrastructure policy could cut millions in cultural contracting costs

    At least $15.8 million has been spent on iwi and hapū resourcing, cultural monitoring, advisory roles and artwork across just three major transport projects, information obtained by the Taxpayers’ Union reveals.The figures come as ACT today announced a transport policy aimed at stripping ethnicity-based requirements from infrastructure procurement.Official...

    Read more about REVEALED: ACT’s infrastructure policy could cut millions in cultural contracting costs

  34. Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and Oliver Hartwich on MMP Gaming and Overhang Chaos

      Te Pāti Māori’s call for supporters to split their votes has put one of MMP’s strangest quirks back in the spotlight: overhang seats, strategic voting, and whether parties can game the system to change who forms the next government.Jordan is joined by Oliver Hartwich from the New Zealand...

    Read more about Taxpayer Talk: Jordan Williams and Oliver Hartwich on MMP Gaming and Overhang Chaos

  35. Billboards to turn up heat on Roche as Blakeley campaign goes public

    The Taxpayers’ Union will tomorrow launch billboards on Whitmore Street, in view of the Beehive, and Bunny Street as pressure grows on Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche over his refusal to front up on Nic Blakeley’s rejected resignation.The billboards will put the accountability question directly in front...

    Read more about Billboards to turn up heat on Roche as Blakeley campaign goes public

  36. Record-low drinking strengthens case for cutting alcohol tax

    In response to new figures showing alcohol consumption has fallen to record lows, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“As consumption is falling sharply, particularly among young people, the Government must reassess whether current excise rates can still be justified.”“With drinking at record lows and the hospitality sector already...

    Read more about Record-low drinking strengthens case for cutting alcohol tax

  37. Labour’s living wage pledge means fewer jobs or higher taxes

    Responding to Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ pledge to extend the living wage to all state sector workers, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks said:“Labour wants to pile another cost onto an already-bloated public-sector wage bill. Higher payroll costs have to be paid for through higher taxes, fewer jobs...

    Read more about Labour’s living wage pledge means fewer jobs or higher taxes

  38. Ratepayers deserve maximum value from $2m property purchase

    The Taxpayers’ Union is questioning Horowhenua District Council’s decision to give iwi and hapū first right of refusal over six council-owned Oxford Street properties.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tyler Groenewald said:“These properties were bought using $2 million of taxpayer-funded Better Off grants. When they are sold, the council’s job should be to...

    Read more about Ratepayers deserve maximum value from $2m property purchase

  39. Reserve Bank hike shows why Labour’s spending plans are dangerous

    Responding to the Reserve Bank’s decision to raise the Official Cash Rate by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“Another OCR hike is a reminder that governments cannot spend their way to prosperity. Excessive government spending helped fuel inflation, and taxpayers are still...

    Read more about Reserve Bank hike shows why Labour’s spending plans are dangerous

  40. Roche breaks own promise for transparency on Blakeley resignation

    After promising to answer questions by the end of Monday, Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche has still not addressed basic questions about his controversial decision to keep the Parliamentary liar Nic Blakeley as the boss at MBIE.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said, “In an email on...

    Read more about Roche breaks own promise for transparency on Blakeley resignation

  41. Farmers Slugged With NAIT Tax Hike

    The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming OSPRI’s levy hike on farmers to fund a new National Animal Identification and Tracing (NAIT) system.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:“Farmers already have to wrestle with a notoriously difficult system, riddled with stories of its failures over the years. Now they’re being...

    Read more about Farmers Slugged With NAIT Tax Hike

  42. Strike from home, or strike for real?

    The Taxpayers’ Union says next week’s planned strike by nearly 10,000 public servants will be the real test of whether Fleur Fitzsimons can actually put bums on seats.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:“Last time MBIE had a strike — dubbed as as ‘huge’ by the Public Service Association, we turned...

    Read more about Strike from home, or strike for real?

  43. REVEALED: WINZ’s $236 Million Bond Grant Black Hole

    The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that the Ministry of Social Development approved 155,103 rental bond grants worth $236,121,897 since 2023, but cannot report the total debt repaid.MSD refused to provide repayment and write-off data, saying it would require substantial manual collation from individual client files.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead,...

    Read more about REVEALED: WINZ’s $236 Million Bond Grant Black Hole

  45. Taxpayer Talk: Paul Henry on ACT, Tax Cuts, and Taking an Axe to Wellington

     In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by broadcaster-turned-ACT candidate Paul Henry for a lively, wide-ranging conversation on the campaign, the state of the centre-right, and why he thinks this election is too important to sit out.From ACT’s push for smaller government and lower taxes...

    Read more about Taxpayer Talk: Paul Henry on ACT, Tax Cuts, and Taking an Axe to Wellington

  46. Labour Can’t Spend The Same Health Money Twice

    The Taxpayers’ Union is demanding Labour explain how its promise to guarantee jobs for every graduate nurse will be funded without money already promised elsewhere.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:“Labour needs to remember the first rule of an election: you can’t spend the same money twice.”“If this...

    Read more about Labour Can’t Spend The Same Health Money Twice

  47. Labour’s Premier House Transparency Calls Hollow Till It Backs Opening Parliamentary Books

    The Taxpayers’ Union says Labour is close to hitting the nail on the head with its calls for greater transparency over spending on Premier House, but must now commit the same principle to Parliament itself.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead Rhys Hurley, said:“Labour is right that taxpayers shouldn’t have to...

    Read more about Labour’s Premier House Transparency Calls Hollow Till It Backs Opening Parliamentary Books

  48. Taxpayer Update: Rates cap win 🧢 | Labour’s tax promise already unravels 💸 | $236m WINZ black hole 🕳️

    Dear Supporter,A mixed bag this week. On Sunday National recommitted to no new taxes (yay!), ACT unveiled its plan to put Parliament back in charge (stop courts stepping over the line), Labour released its, errr, "fiscal strategy" (i.e. even bigger government) and we had a major win on...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: Rates cap win 🧢 | Labour’s tax promise already unravels 💸 | $236m WINZ black hole 🕳️

  53. MBIE's lying chief executive, Nic Blakeley, must go

    If integrity, honesty, and accountability are to mean a thing in the public service, MBIE chief executive Nic Blakeley needs to go after he was found to have deliberately misled Parliament, says the Taxpayers’ Union.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:“Nic Blakeley deliberately misled Parliament. In other words,...

    Read more about MBIE's lying chief executive, Nic Blakeley, must go

  54. Don’t hike fuel tax while infrastructure fund is wasted

    The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to scrap January’s planned 12-cent fuel tax hike before Cabinet’s decision deadline on Monday.Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“Before asking motorists for more, the Government should look at where its existing infrastructure money is going. If it can find $68.5...

    Read more about Don’t hike fuel tax while infrastructure fund is wasted

  55. Southland Referendum Gets It Right: Now Let Every Ratepayer Decide on Amalgamation

    The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming confirmation that Southlanders will get the final say on any council reorganisation plan and is calling for every council involved in the Government’s Head Start programme to make the same commitment.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead Rhys Hurley said:“Whether amalgamation is a good...

    Read more about Southland Referendum Gets It Right: Now Let Every Ratepayer Decide on Amalgamation

  56. After a year without policy, Te Pāti Māori delivers a tax grab

    Responding to Te Pāti Māori’s newly released tax policy, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“Te Pāti Māori has spent most of the year seemingly allergic to policy, and after all that time this is what they have come up with: five new taxes.“Apparently one or two new taxes...

    Read more about After a year without policy, Te Pāti Māori delivers a tax grab

  57. Scrapping Climate Change Commission would be a win for taxpayers

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming ACT’s renewed commitment to scrap the Climate Change Commission, three years after first backing its abolition.Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“This would be a huge win for taxpayers. We backed scrapping the Commission in 2023 and are pleased ACT has stuck with it.“Taxpayers...

    Read more about Scrapping Climate Change Commission would be a win for taxpayers

  62. Government’s rates cap a campaign win for ratepayers

    The Taxpayers’ Union is celebrating a major policy victory after the Government announced council rates increases will be capped from 1 July 2029.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“This is a huge win for ratepayers. More than 31,000 New Zealanders backed our Cap Rates Now campaign, and the Government has listened.”“We...

    Read more about Government’s rates cap a campaign win for ratepayers

  63. Hipkins’ ‘only one new tax’ promise 'gone by lunchtime’

    The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Chris Hipkins for suggesting that bed taxes could be introduced under a potential Labour-led coalition, just hours after insisting Labour would introduce only one new tax.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“Chris Hipkins’ ‘only one new tax’ promise didn’t even make it to dinner.“This morning,...

    Read more about Hipkins’ ‘only one new tax’ promise 'gone by lunchtime’

  64. Taxpayer Update: NZ on Air’s $500k encore 🎸 | TWO Taxpayer Heroes this week 🦸‍♂️

    Happy Saturday,It's been another busy week. Let's get into it.Common sense prevails: TWO Taxpayer Heroes in one week! 🦸‍♂️💥Firstly, in a move designed to make us fall out of our chairs, someone in the Wellington bubble made a good decision this week.Taxpayer Hero Brooke van Velden has stopped Internal Affairs...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: NZ on Air’s $500k encore 🎸 | TWO Taxpayer Heroes this week 🦸‍♂️

  65. Welcome home, National: No new taxes pledge a win for taxpayers

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming National’s U-turn and unequivocal commitment to “no new taxes”, calling it a victory for taxpayers and common sense. Taxpayers’ Union Spokesperson Tory Relf said:“Welcome home, National. This is exactly where the party of lower taxes should be.“Just a few weeks ago, Nicola Willis...

    Read more about Welcome home, National: No new taxes pledge a win for taxpayers

  66. ACT right to rein in judges and protect taxpayers’ property

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming ACT’s plan to put property rights into the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act, saying taxpayers need stronger protection from governments that treat private property as theirs to tax, regulate, or confiscate at will.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:“Property rights are the...

    Read more about ACT right to rein in judges and protect taxpayers’ property

  67. Labour fiscal 'strategy' shows they learned nothing from COVID

    The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Labour’s fiscal strategy of locking-in Covid-era levels of government spending as 'fiscal and economic sabotage'.Responding to Barbara Edmond's "fiscal strategy" Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said:“Labour's pledge to keep core Crown expenses around 33 percent of GDP is a recipe for New...

    Read more about Labour fiscal 'strategy' shows they learned nothing from COVID

  68. Taxpayers' Update: 🎶 Singing on your dime | 🙃 $36k for "accountability" | 💸 Te Pāti Māori's broken promise

    Hi Supporter,This week, the team have uncovered millions being spent on public servants singing on the clock, found out Dunedin ratepayers have paid $36,000 to discover that “accountability” is a good thing (no ... Sherlock!), and Labour has misplaced yet another tax policy.Meanwhile, the Greens are flirting with price...

    Read more about Taxpayers' Update: 🎶 Singing on your dime | 🙃 $36k for "accountability" | 💸 Te Pāti Māori's broken promise

  69. Taxpayer Talk: Simon Court on the RMA shakedown holding NZ hostage

     In this episode of Taxpayer Talk, Peter Williams is joined by ACT’s infrastructure and resource management spokesman Simon Court to take aim at the planning rules he says are stopping New Zealand from building the homes, roads, ports, quarries, power lines, and infrastructure we desperately need.From eye-watering consent...

    Read more about Taxpayer Talk: Simon Court on the RMA shakedown holding NZ hostage

  70. Government Must Ban Public Sector Golden Handshakes

    The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling on the Government to ban settlement payouts across councils and government agencies following the Chatham Islands Council’s $100,000 payment to disgraced former Chief Executive Paul Eagle.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, Rhys Hurley, said:“How on Earth can someone whose conduct prompted their employer to...

    Read more about Government Must Ban Public Sector Golden Handshakes

  71. Unwinding 9 months of bloat is not “generational harm”

    Public Service Association National Secretary Fleur Fitzsimons’ claims that the Opportunity’s plans to remove 2,000 bureaucrats would ‘harm public services for generations’.Responding, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:“Between June 2025 and March 2026, the public service grew by 1,881 bureaucrats. There are still 17,284 more bureaucrats today than before...

    Read more about Unwinding 9 months of bloat is not “generational harm”

  73. Will New Plymouth's $25m art collection finally deliver value to ratepayers?

    The Taxpayers’ Union is backing New Plymouth Mayor Max Brough’s push to unlock value from the council’s $25 million art collection, after he took aim at its mounting costs.Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“While New Plymouth ratepayers are struggling, their council is sitting on $25 million worth of...

    Read more about Will New Plymouth's $25m art collection finally deliver value to ratepayers?

  74. REVEALED: ACT's Banning Of Public Service Waiata To Save An Estimated $3.5 Million Per Year

    The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that at least 9 public service agencies are running hours of waiata and karakia practice each week.Using a conservative estimate that just ten percent of staff at each agency participate, and applying the average public service hourly salary of $49.66 over 8,680 hours per...

    Read more about REVEALED: ACT's Banning Of Public Service Waiata To Save An Estimated $3.5 Million Per Year

  77. Breadlines are back on the menu

    Responding to the Green Party's proposed open-ended supermarket price controls, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“There are two ways to ration scarce goods like food: prices or queues. The Greens seem determined to give Kiwis a refresher course in what a breadline looks like.”“New Zealand’s grocery rort is...

    Read more about Breadlines are back on the menu

  78. Taxpayer Update: $303k climate junket ✈️ | Labour’s ChatGPT subsidy 🤖 | Ferry gravy train ⛴️

    Dear Supporter,The week that was: National Party psychodrama, while Opportunity stalking horse continues 👀What a week.While Wellington has been consumed by the National Party's attempt to blow the arms off its own leader – only for the whole thing to blow up in Chris Penk's face – we've...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: $303k climate junket ✈️ | Labour’s ChatGPT subsidy 🤖 | Ferry gravy train ⛴️

  79. ACT show you don’t need to mash the ‘new tax’ button

    Responding to ACT’s Local Tourism Dividend policy, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“ACT have done what National wouldn’t: ruled out new taxes while finding a way to give councils more of the upside from tourism, not just the costs."“Using existing tourism funding to reward councils for attracting visitors...

    Read more about ACT show you don’t need to mash the ‘new tax’ button

  80. REVEALED: Climate bureaucrats burn $303,000 jet-setting to Brazil’s COP30 junket

    The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through Official Information Act requeststhat the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry for the Environment spent $303,026.78 sending 17 staff to the 2025 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) in Belém, Brazil.Key facts:-The Ministry...

    Read more about REVEALED: Climate bureaucrats burn $303,000 jet-setting to Brazil’s COP30 junket

  81. Labour kneecaps investment, then subsidises ChatGPT

    Responding to Labour’s announcement of millions more in taxpayer funding for AI adoption and start-ups, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Austin Ellingham-Banks said:“Labour has slapped ‘AI’ on an old-fashioned corporate welfare scheme for American Big Tech and called it innovation."“Businesses already have every incentive to invest in AI if it...

    Read more about Labour kneecaps investment, then subsidises ChatGPT

  83. National needs to stick to 2023 ‘No New Taxes’ pledge

    Responding to comments from Prime Minister Christopher Luxon on Newstalk ZB this morning, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Austin Ellingham-Banks said:“If the Prime Minister cannot clearly articulate his party’s tax position less than three months out from the election, he should go back to the promise National made to voters...

    Read more about National needs to stick to 2023 ‘No New Taxes’ pledge

  84. ACT’s ‘no new taxes’ pledge puts pressure on National to make the same promise

    The Taxpayers’ Union welcomes ACT’s unequivocal commitment to no new taxes and is calling on National to do the same.Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“National’s ‘no new taxes on working people’ fudge is already falling flat, with the Prime Minister unable to tell Kiwis what their tax bill...

    Read more about ACT’s ‘no new taxes’ pledge puts pressure on National to make the same promise

  86. Nothing new in National’s fiscal rules – but ‘no new taxes’ promise conspicuously absent

    The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the direction of National’s newly announced “Budget Responsibility Rules”, but says there is nothing new in the fiscal targets and is calling on National to come clean about what taxes it plans to hike.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:“There is nothing new...

    Read more about Nothing new in National’s fiscal rules – but ‘no new taxes’ promise conspicuously absent

  87. Taxpayer Update: New poll 📊 | Winston's baby bonus 💸 | Bureaucrat sickies 🤒 | $300k for kapa haka "research" 🤦

    Hi,Today marks three months until the election, and the silly season has well begun. It even snowed in Wellington!This week, we look at whether NZ First’s $400 million proposed 'baby bonus' is likely to work, expose who in the government is pulling sickies, and why the Nats need...

    Read more about Taxpayer Update: New poll 📊 | Winston's baby bonus 💸 | Bureaucrat sickies 🤒 | $300k for kapa haka "research" 🤦

  89. Labour fudges fiscal drag fix

    Labour has today announced plans to raise the GST registration threshold from $60,000 to $80,000. Commenting, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“The GST registration threshold was last adjusted in 2009. If it kept pace with inflation, it would now sit at $92,477. Partial relief is better than none.”“It...

    Read more about Labour fudges fiscal drag fix

  90. Labour doubles down on New Zealand’s productivity crisis

    Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Labour’s plan to axe Investment Boost, warning it would discourage business investment and make New Zealand’s productivity crisis even worse.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“New Zealand’s stagnant productivity is the rot behind our squeezed wages, weak growth, and increasingly unaffordable superannuation, healthcare, and other...

    Read more about Labour doubles down on New Zealand’s productivity crisis

  94. REVEALED: Health NZ spent nearly half a million dollars on single ad campaign

    Health New Zealand spent $490,043.75 on a single advert featuring former Lotto presenter Russell Harrison, documents obtained by the Taxpayers’ Union reveal for the first time.Harrison, who remained suspended from the Ministry of Justice on full pay for years, was paid $3,000 to appear in the 30-second advertisement.Taxpayers’...

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  96. Public service diversity bureaucracy is a taxpayer-funded vanity project

    The Taxpayers’ Union says the public service should immediately freeze its expanded diversity plan until it can prove existing initiatives have delivered a single measurable benefit to taxpayers.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“MBIE has recently presided over catastrophic project failures, blown budgets and appalling financial controls. Its priority...

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  97. Mike Hosking is right: Human Rights Commission has lost its way

    The Taxpayers’ Union is backing Mike Hosking’s criticism of the Human Rights Commission (HRC) after it opposed the Government’s proposed changes to Treaty clauses across 19 pieces of legislation.Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said:“Mike Hosking is right. The Human Rights Commission has lost its way. Instead of defending...

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  98. PSA must release legal advice behind political campaign

    The Taxpayers’ Union is demanding the Public Service Association immediately publish the legal advice it claims gave the green light for its “Change the Government” campaignto be distributed through ministry offices and public service workplaces.Taxpayers' Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“The PSA told public servants to ‘change the government’...

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  99. PSA crosses the line with anti-government workplace campaign

    Responding to Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche directing the Public Service Association to remove its “Change the Government” campaign material from public service workplaces, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“The PSA’s politics are no secret, but using supposedly neutral public service workplaces to campaign for the Government’s...

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