The Centre-Left bloc could form a Government, but with the finest possible margin according to the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll.

This poll shows Labour gain 0.3 points to 34.4 percent, while National drops 2.9 points to 28.4 percent.

The Greens gain 0.2 points to 10.5 percent, while New Zealand First drops 0.8 points to 9.7 percent. ACT gains 0.8 points to 7.5 percent, while Te Pāti Māori gains 0.3 points to 3.2 percent.

Headline results and more information about the methodology can be found on the Taxpayers' Union's website at www.taxpayers.org.nz/tucur_mar2026poll

Minor parties were TOP on 1.9 percent (+0.5 points), NZ Outdoors and Freedom on 1.7 percent (+0.5 points), Vision NZ on 0.2 percent (-0.2 points), and New Conservatives on 0.8 percent (+0.7 points). 

This month's results are compared to the last Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll conducted in February 2026, available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/0226_polltu, which showed a hung Parliament.

The combined projected seats for the Centre-Left increases 1 to 61. The combined seats for the Centre-Right drops 1 to 59.

On these numbers, the Centre-Left bloc could form a Government.

Labour gains 1 seat to 44, while National drops 3 seats to 36. New Zealand First and the Greens both remain on 13 seats. ACT gains 2 seats to 10, while Te Pāti Māori remain on 4.

Polling on whether voters believed Labour or National were better managers of specific policies, National led on the Economy and Spending. Labour led on Health, Poverty, Inflation, Education, Safety, Housing, Environment, and not increasing taxes.  

Commenting on the results, Taxpayers' Union Spokesman James Ross said:

"Yet again, this poll confirms that the election race is as close as it can be."

"The Government ought to be concerned with the issues Labour now lead on. It will shock National's election strategists that more voters are picking Labour as more trusted 'not to put up your taxes'."

Hi Friend,

Former Green Party MP defends $156k kūmara patch - says 'more money' needed for 'Māori science' 🪏 

We've been bombarded with emails on yesterday's exposé on the $156,132 "science challenge" 3 by 3 metre kūmara patch, funded through Massey University.

In case you missed it – check out what now counts as 'science' at our largest tertiary institution...

Even the media are digging in.

Taxpayer Update has occasionally criticised our friends in the media for being too chicken reluctant to call out wasteful spending when it touches on cultural matters, but not today.

Last night's Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive dug into the story, and snuffed out a case-in-point example of the problem of Wellington insiders pretending cultural and mystical studies should be put on equal standing (and funding!) as genuine science.

Former Green MP Gareth Hughes told listeners that far from criticising this spending, taxpayers should be "celebrating this Māori science".

He complained that not enough money was going to these sorts of projects and cited OECD data suggesting New Zealand is underinvesting in research and development.

That last bit is true, but growing kūmara to give to the "sky gods" probably wasn't the R&D the OECD has in mind...

Unfortunately for Gareth, Jordan was on the same panel – and he took the bait. 

Did Gareth Hughes 'suck the kūmara', or did Jordan come off second best?

Poor old Gareth got ripped into. Have a listen - who came off second best? 😬

🚨 The poll 🚨

This month's Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll is attracting media attention before it's even hit the inbox!

Yesterday, as is our usual courtesy, your humble Taxpayers' Union spoke to the various political party leaders/offices and gave them the embargoed results in advance of today's public release. 

But colour me shocked – it turns out politicians can't keep a secret! 😲

Since yesterday evening, we've been fielding calls from journalists who all seemed to know more about the poll numbers of a particular party than even our own team. 

For the avoidance of doubt, we don't play favourites with the monthly poll, leak, or confirm numbers to journalists.

This, though, is the first monthly poll we can recall where someone in one of the political parties has clearly decided to get stories out there in advance. 

This morning, Mike Hosking suggested there was a whiff of skulduggery going on. Thankfully, he confirmed on air later that it's not from us!

Centre-left with narrowest of lead in new Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll 📈

Today's Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll sees Labour up 0.3 points to 34.4 percent, National down 2.9 points to 28.4 percent with no major changes for the small parties.

Unfortunately for National, it's their lowest party vote result since November 2021. Ouch.

The Greens are up 0.2 points to 10.5 percent, NZ First are down 0.8 points to 9.7 percent, ACT up 0.8 points to 7.5 percent, and Te Pāti Māori up 0.3 points to 3.2 percent.

Converting these results to seats in Parliament, compared to last month Labour gains 1 seat to 44, while National lose 3 to 36.

NZ First and the Greens would both remain on 13 seats each, ACT gains 2 seats to 10, and Te Pāti Māori remains on 4 seats.

This means that the centre-Left bloc could form the next government if an election was held today – but with the finest possible margin of 61 to the centre-Right bloc's 59.

Each month, our pollsters ask participants which party best matches each of these descriptions:

• Can manage the economy, spending and debt
• Can provide a reliable and accessible health system
• Will reduce poverty in New Zealand
• Can manage inflation and the cost of living
• Will provide a high quality education system
• Will not increase taxes on you
• Will make people feel safer in their communities
• Will reduce wasteful government spending
• Will make housing more affordable
• Will protect the environment

On those issues, National leads Labour as the party best on the Economy and Spending, Labour has a lead as the preferred party on Health, Poverty, Inflation, Education, Safety, Housing, Environment, and not increasing taxes.

We tend to leave the interpretation of the poll numbers to others (a poll is a poll - our job is to just present the numbers), but we can't help but note that a majority of voters appear to believe Labour, not National are best at not increasing taxes.

That's been a consistent result for a few months now, and runs counter to all the new taxes introduced by the Hipkins/Ardern Government, National's own messaging, and Labour's proposed unfair capital gains tax on inflation.

Incredible how short voters' memories are - and demonstrates why the Government needs to stick with its 'no new taxes' promise (as we've said all along!) 

You can read more on the poll, including this month's Preferred Prime Minister numbers and information about the methodology, over on our website.

How to get the "insider info"... 🤫

In addition to what's on our website, we also send a comprehensive polling report covering the detailed insights (demographic breakdowns, party leader favourable/unfavourable information, etc) to our Taxpayer Caucus.

More information (and how to sign up) is detailed here.

Ministry of Education’s million-dollar Treaty workshops ✏️

Over the weekend, our Investigations Coordinator, Rhys, was in the NZ Herald exposing yet another example of bureaucratic excess - and this one comes with a near seven-figure price tag.

Rhys revealed the Ministry of Education spent $987,772.60 putting 1,076 staff through a 10 hour online Te Tiriti o Waitangi course.

That’s nearly $1 million not spent on frontline education or kids - the people who should actually be in the classroom.

When you add salary costs ($479,392.60) to course fees ($508,380), the total comes to more than $900 per staff member.

That’s $900 per staff member for a course run by the Groundworks group, who have campaigned against removing Māori wards and the Treaty Principles Bill.

I'm sure these bureaucrats were getting a fair, unbiased lesson from these lobbyists...

Rhys unearthed the staff satisfaction survey on the course. It asked participants to rank "excellent", "fair", "good", and "very good" — in that order.

When the feedback scale runs from positive to very positive, how exactly is the Ministry measuring whether this delivered value for money? The Minister clearly knew the answer they wanted, with certain views on the Treaty not allowed.

Fact checking the "growing inequality" claims 🧐

Tory Relf Head of Comms New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

PS. The kūmara story is just the tip of the iceberg. These sorts of stories - waste hidden behind fancy names like the National Science Challenges - are layered in departments across Government. But we can’t expose these stories if we can't keep the lights on. Thank you to all of those who make it possible.

A new Taxpayers’ Union briefing paper released today finds claims that income inequality in New Zealand is worsening simply do not match the evidence.

Based on work by Treasury officials on income distribution from 2007 to 2023, The Myth of Rising Income Inequalityfinds inequality peaked around 2012–13 and has since fallen, leaving it lower in 2023 than at the start of the period.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Austin Ellingham-Banks says the findings undermine calls for higher income taxes justified on the basis of rising inequality.

“The narrative that inequality is spiralling out of control simply isn’t supported by the data. Analysts at Treasury show inequality peaked more than a decade ago and has since fallen.”

“Raising income taxes would impose economic costs without solving the real issues facing New Zealanders. Kiwis are struggling because of weak economic growth and the cost-of-living crisis. Hiking income tax won’t fix that; pro-growth policies will.”

The full report, The Myth of Rising Income Inequality, is available here.

The New Zealand Initiative Chair Roger Partridge joins Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams to discuss a new report arguing New Zealand could unlock more than $24 billion for essential infrastructure by recycling mature Crown-owned commercial assets.

Roger explains how redirecting capital tied up in government-owned companies such as Air New Zealand, Kiwibank and the mixed ownership electricity generators could help fund hospitals, schools, roads and water systems — without raising taxes or increasing public debt. Drawing on the successful New South Wales model, he outlines how a ring-fenced National Infrastructure Fund could convert government commercial holdings into the infrastructure New Zealand urgently needs.

Remember last year when we blew the whistle on the $4 million of taxpayer money being spent on recording, remixing, and playing whale music to kauri trees to (apparently) 'soothe and cure' kauri dieback?

Well, if that made your blood boil, you're not going to like this email...

After a year-long investigation, this is the first in a new series where we lift the lid on how millions of dollars of "science" funding have been wasted in projects that are nothing short of rorts and grift.

Of course, because it touches on Te Ao Māori, the media refuse to touch it - or hold anyone to account. 

That's why I am so determined that the Taxpayers' Union keep digging, keep up the pressure, and why I'm asking supporters like you to donate, fund this research work, and ultimately put an end to this nonsense and affront to taxpayers (and genuine science).

Recap: the National Science Challenges

Based on re-interpretations of the Treaty of Waitangi adopted by the Chris Hipkins/Jacinda Ardern Government, officials were instructed by Ministers to give Te Ao Māori (the Māori world view) equivalent status to "colonialist science".

As a result, money allocated for the "National Science Challenges" – which had the purpose of bringing together "the country's top scientists" and using "the best science to address the Challenge[s]" – was spent to cure Kauri dieback by playing music to trees.

After one of our young researchers snuffed out the $4 million whale song spending, I instructed the Research Team to keep digging.

I tasked them to find where every single dollar of the $63.7 million spent on this particular "science challenge" ended up.

Normally, these things take weeks or months. But, officials have dug their heels in hard – it's taken nearly a year to get answers to basic questions.

A year long investigation: whale song is just the tip of the iceberg 

The rort of the whale song story was not a one-off. What the team has uncovered suggests widespread rot and a total lack of accountability.

We've found the issues spread much wider than just Wellington or officials at MBIE. The following examples, relate to money allocated to our leading 'research' universities!

The first in a new series focuses on a project called "Mobilising for Action" – another $4 million within the $63.7 million "Science Challenge" to save New Zealand's iconic trees.

Indigenous Science: Mobilising for Action

I'll let the official documents set it out: (my emphasis):

National Science Challenges were created [...] to answer some of Aotearoa New Zealand’s biggest science questions. The Challenges bring together the country’s top scientists to work collaboratively across disciplines, institutions and borders to achieve their objectives.

So what is the "Mobilising for Action" project?

Our research focuses on the human dimensions of ngahere/forest health. We seek to understand the meaning people attach to te taiao (the environment), ngahere (forest), and taonga (treasured) species, to explore people’s connection and how this can be fostered and supported, to empower them to make a difference now and in the future so te taiao, ngahere, and taonga species flourish.

What does this look like in practice?

The first project was a Massey University initiative. $156,132 was spent on a scientific research project titled "Māra Tautāne".

Although Māra Tautāne translates to "garden for men", the project's purpose was, in fact, "Revitalisation of traditional hapū practices".

The Research Brief states:

The purpose of this project is to observe and record the deep cultural and spiritual significance that cultural practices connected with the natural world hold for tāngata Māori.  Specifically, the project involves recording the revitalisation of the Māra Tautāne in a hapū of Tūhoe, located in Ruātoki, in the northern Te Urewera. [...] 

The project also elevates the importance of the role of wāhine [woman] in the preservation and maintenance of cultural practices associated with māra [the garden]. [...] 

The Māra Tautāne acts as a symbolic icon to enable a connection between the spiritual world and the physical world.  It is a symbol of Māori connectedness and inseparability from the natural world. 

According to one of the researchers, kūmara were chosen for the garden because it is the "garden of the gods" and only kūmara can be given to the gods.

Who are we to argue with these government scientists? 👀

I swear we're not making this up.

The research outcomes included:

• a "story book"
  
  
• a 20 minute cultural video; and
  
  
• growing kūmara to offer to the sky gods.

Science for the sky gods: "Only the best foods will be offered"

This is taken word-for-word from the project's description:

Māra Tautane

Māra tautāne are small gardens often nestled in an isolated area of a larger māra kai, which were established in recognition of the essence of the atua associated with the mãra and enabled the mãra to flourish.

Historically, Māori would plant a mãra tautāne at the annual heliacal rising of Matariki - a ritual with deeply spiritual connotations that reinforced the connection between people, the environment, and the wider cosmos.

All produce grown within te māra tautane were offered to Rongo, the Māori atua of cultivation, and to atua representing stars in the constellation of Matariki. A kumara, for example, might be offered to Tupuānuku, and a kereru or another bird from the forest offered to Tupuārangi. Likewise an eel or freshwater fish would represent Waiti, and some form of shellfish or sea life would be chosen for Waita. Only the best foods would be offered.

So how much does a kūmara garden cost? 

Your humble Taxpayers' Union wanted to see a breakdown of the $156,132 spending, and a picture of the kūmara patch.

And we knew we were onto something when Massey dragged the chain on our Official Information Act requests...

But, I can now give you the breakdown.

Personnel costs amounted to $111,132. It's an important research project involving "the country's top scientists" (apparently), so I guess we can't complain, right?

Participant koha: $5,000. At the Taxpayers' Union we think taxpayer money should never be used for koha gifts. But that's not the view of Massey University. 

Additional equipment: $10,000. Gardens are expensive. $10,000 at Mitre 10 doesn't go far nowadays...

Team travel costs: $25,000. A Marae 20km south of Whakatāne was chosen to locate the kūmara garden. Presumably a lot of trips from Massey University were required?

Story map development: $5,000

Grand total = $156,132.

Before you scroll down, remember that this kūmara garden cost taxpayers $156,132.

That's nine years of the income tax paid by the average Kiwi worker...

You might expect something like a scientific research facility, irrigation systems, and monitoring equipment.

Maybe even a greenhouse.

Instead, we got this:

And from above:

$156k is a lot of money, but the true cost here is real science.

It's an entire year of salary for two new-grad scientists actually working in a laboratory on plant disease and biosecurity research.

It could fund thousands of laboratory tests to detect invasive pests threatening our forests or scientific equipment to study this. 

But instead, it funded… a kūmara patch.

Even the $10,000 for "additional equipment" for something so small is mind blowing.

This is the sort of spending that happens when bureaucrats know no one is watching.

It is why we fight the War on Waste, and are asking for your support.

Will you give us the spades, so the Taxpayers' Union can keep digging?

It's fair to say Massey University isn't giving the Taxpayers' Union a $10,000 Mitre10 voucher to dig up wasteful spending.

We rely on the generosity of supporters like you who join us to demand accountability.

In the coming weeks, we'll be shining even more light on "science" funding.

From your money going to develop "Decolonising Flip Cards" (funded through Landcare Research), to "Saving Trees with Primary School Art" (Auckland University) – in the weeks to come, we'll rattle cages, and demand transparency.

But we can only do this if we have your support.

Thank you for standing with us,

Jordan Williams  Executive Director  New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Ps. Based on the death threats (and a legal threat) we received for exposing the whale song/kauri tree story last year, I know this is going to cause a stir and some will no doubt scream 'racism'.

But government waste isn't about skin colour – and with the media not doing their job, only the Taxpayers' Union is willing to call out the nonsense.

Your support means we can keep at it - and return public *science* money back to, well, science.

Thank you for making the work possible.

Responding to Treasury figures showing the Government’s deficit is slightly smaller than forecast, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“These figures are genuinely encouraging for taxpayers, especially young New Zealanders who will inherit this debt.”

“But let’s be clear, better than expected is not the same as balanced. The deficit for the seven months to January is still $6 billion, nearly $3,000 per household. Deficits remain, debt and spending are both still too high, and structural pressures persist. The Government cannot rely on temporary tweaks or lucky timing to claim progress - especially given the potential for economic pressures with conflict in the Middle East.”

“Budget 2026 is the real test. Ministers must use this momentum to lock in serious fiscal discipline, slash wasteful spending, and implement real structural savings. They need to show taxpayers a credible plan to reduce deficits and debt, not just optics.”

“If they fail, today’s small improvements will mean nothing, and ordinary New Zealanders will still be left footing the bill for years to come. The pressure is on: Budget 2026 must deliver.”

Responding to reports from RNZ on Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa polling suggesting people were feeling the pinch from rising inequality, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said “Kiwis are certainly feeling the pinch, but not because of supposed rising inequality."

“In fact, the data shows the opposite. A Treasury analytical note shows that by all four measures, income inequality in New Zealand has fallen between 2007 and 2023, not risen."

“What Kiwis are actually dealing with is stagnant wage growth, a prolonged per-capita recession, and a cost-of-living crisis driven by years of persistent government overspending.”

“If Wellbeing Economy Alliance Aotearoa are serious about lifting living standards, we look forward to their support for policies that would actually grow the economy. That means slashing red tape, introducing full expensing, and removing the third of public servants needed to trim government bloat back to 2017 levels.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is warning that Treasury’s repeated cautions about New Zealand’s vulnerability to an economic shock are now looking prophetic, as geo-security assessments suggest the Iran conflict is likely to drag on for months, not days or weeks.

“Over the last six months Treasury has made it clear: New Zealand is poorly positioned to weather another global shock. Unfortunately, those warnings now look less theoretical and more like a sign of what’s coming,” said Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf.

"While there is not yet evidence of a decisive global economic downturn, the probability of sustained disruption has increased."

“When economic shocks hit, governments have a habit of slapping another 10 percent of GDP onto the national credit card. But with core Crown debt already equating to roughly $140,000 per household, and international bond markets increasingly jittery about New Zealand’s fiscal discipline, the Debt Monster is no longer hiding under the bed - it’s at the front door.”

“Nicola Willis faces difficult choices, but the worst option of all would be to double down on a ‘borrow and hope’ strategy, kicking the can down the road while leaving our kids to foot the bill through higher taxes, weaker growth, and lower living standards.”

“Budget 2026 may be Willis's last opportunity to get spending under control, before her hand is forced. Continuing along Grant Robertson’s high-debt, high-spending track has left New Zealand exposed. Without a serious course correction now - structural spending restraint, not tinkering - the eventual fix will be far more painful.”

Nicola’s Fudge, the tongue-in-cheek campaign by the Taxpayers’ Union to hold the Finance Minister to account for her fiscal indulgences and failure to deliver on her pre-election promises to get spending under control, has been shortlisted for three prestigious international Reed Awards.

The campaign has been named a finalist for Best International Campaign (National), Best Public Affairs Campaign, and Best Online Video – 2 Minutes or Under at the 2026 Reed Awards, hosted by Campaigns & Elections magazine in the United States.

Often described as the “Oscars of political campaigning,” the Reed Awards recognise the very best political, public affairs, and advocacy campaigns from around the world. Winners and finalists regularly include presidential campaigns, national political parties, and major advocacy organisations operating at the highest levels of professional political communications.

Last year’s winners included Kamala Harris for President 2024 in the Best Online Video category, and Claudia Sheinbaum’s Mexican Presidential campaign for Best International Campaign. To be shortlisted alongside campaigns of that scale and profile is a significant achievement for a New Zealand-based organisation.

Taxpayers’ Union Chair Hon. Ruth Richardson said the recognition demonstrates that New Zealand advocacy campaigns can compete on the global stage.

“These awards are judged internationally and attract entries from major presidential campaigns, governing parties, and leading public affairs firms,” said Richardson. “For a New Zealand taxpayer group to be shortlisted in three categories speaks to the professionalism and creativity of our team.”

The Nicola’s Fudge campaign combined satire with serious fiscal scrutiny, highlighting concerns about rising debt, delayed surplus projections, and continued growth in government spending. The campaign cut through with humour while reinforcing substantive economic arguments, generating significant media coverage, online engagement, and public debate.

Head of Communications Tory Relf said the nominations reflect the growing sophistication of New Zealand-based campaigning.

“Campaigns & Elections sets the benchmark for political communications globally. Being recognised by the Reeds signals that what we are producing here meets an international standard,” said Relf.

“We are proud that a campaign focused on holding government accountable for spending has resonated beyond our shores.”

The Reed Awards ceremony will be held next week in Charleston, South Carolina.

Richardson said the nominations underscore a broader point.

“Accountability and fiscal responsibility are universal issues. It is encouraging to see a campaign rooted in New Zealand politics recognised alongside presidential campaigns from some of the world’s largest democracies.”

The video and details on the campaign remains live at NicolasFudge.nz

Labour leader Chris Hipkins is again disputing Treasury’s estimate that reversing the Government’s pay equity changes would cost $6,400 per household. The Taxpayers’ Union says if Labour rejects the numbers, it should back independent verification.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

"If Chris Hipkins thinks Treasury has got it wrong, he either needs to prove it or back an independent policy-costing body to test the numbers."

“Treasury says reversing the Government’s changes would cost $6,400 per household. If Labour disputes that figure, taxpayers deserve to know the real cost, not just another round of ‘he said, she said’.”

“An independent fiscal watchdog isn’t a radical idea. Even Labour’s finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, has previously drafted a Members’ Bill calling for an Independent Fiscal Institute.”

“Countries like Britain use their Office for Budget Responsibility to keep politicians honest. It’s time New Zealand put an adult in the room to cut through the election-year spin and tell it like it is.”

Before Wellington bureaucrats and local government mandarins pop the champagne or draft obituaries: no, the Taxpayers’ Union is not disappearing.

Yes, members of the Taxpayers' Union are set to vote later this month to confirm the winding up the incorporated society known as the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union Inc.

No, that does not mean we’re shutting down. Quite the opposite.

The change is purely legal and administrative, the result of new requirements under the new Incorporated Societies Act that are better suited to bowling clubs and orchid societies than to a nationwide campaigning machine that exists to ruffle feathers and hold politicians accountable.

Rather than risk being bogged down in bureaucratic process (the irony is not lost on us), members voted unanimously at our AGM in December to transition the organisation into a non-profit company with identical objects: New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union Ltd. Consistent with the legal requirements to wind up a Society, members are expected to vote to confirm the decision in a fortnight.

Same mission.
Same team.
Same campaigns.
Same determination to fight for Lower Taxes, Less Waste, and More Accountability.
Just a different legal wrapper.

Co-founder and Executive Director Jordan Williams says the move ensures the organisation can remain focused on its mission while remaining transparent to the public, and accountable to members and financial supporters.

“We’d much rather spend our time exposing wasteful spending than navigating procedural tripwires designed for organisations that don’t have political opponents. This proposed change keeps us efficient, agile, and focused on fighting for taxpayers.”

The new structure preserves grassroots membership, annual meetings, published accounts, and member voting rights. In fact, members – and the public – will continue to receive financial reporting that is more transparent than political parties ever provide.

The transition follows considered legal analysis and reflects concerns that the new Incorporated Societies framework could be weaponised by hostile interests seeking to distract or disrupt advocacy groups.

Let’s be clear: the Taxpayers’ Union is not retreating. We’re reinforcing.
The campaigns will continue.
The scrutiny will continue.
The media releases will definitely continue.

If anything, this change ensures we can keep punching above our weight without wasting donors’ money on compliance gymnastics.

To those who might have been hoping this was the end: sorry to disappoint.

We’ll see you at the next wasteful spending scandal, and next week's Jonesie Awards.

Labour’s Finance spokesperson, Barbara Edmonds, has reportedly hinted that a Labour-led government would move the Reserve Bank away from its single mandate to control inflation, and bring back a mandate to target maximum sustainable employment.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross stated that “this would be a disastrous mistake. Kiwis can clearly see the damage that the dual mandate inflicted, and that businesses and households around them are still suffering from the cost-of-living crisis. Distracting the Reserve Bank from fighting inflation is the last thing New Zealand needs.”

“Monetary policy must focus on one objective only, which is maintaining inflation within the current target band. Diluting that focus ends up with the Reserve Bank having to take drastic action to wrestle out-of-control inflation, which is what caused the severe economic recession we’re currently struggling to climb out of.”

“Last year, Labour also floated the idea of raising the inflation target band and seeing everyday prices spiral at a quicker rate. Does Ms Edmonds seriously think either of these changes are credible policy? With the cost of living consistently the most important issue to voters, it’s about time Labour got with the agenda.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has released 103 Ways to Save Money in Local Government – a report that lists big and small opportunities for local councils to save money and reduce the rates burden on ratepayers.

The 103 suggestions, many of which were provided to the Union by councils and media stories across the country, range from the common-sense to the novel.

Taken together, they serve as a challenge to reimagine undisciplined council spending. Avoiding wasteful spending should not be a cause for celebration, but an expectation.

After a Taxpayers' Union campaign, rates caps are now Government policy. Councils have to find ways to save money, and this report is a way to get the ball rolling.

Some highlighted suggestions:

• Pay down council debt (#1)
• Installing water meters (#7)
• Leaving social housing to Government (#50)
• Performance based pay (#61)
• Leaving climate reductions to the Emissions Trading Scheme (#103)

Some more novel ideas:

• Ending sister city deals (#2)
• Rental grazing for underused land (#18)
• Phasing out postal billing (#39)
• Move to electronic agendas (#47)
• Offering flu jabs to staff (#79)

Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe, in a foreword to the report, said:

“The Taxpayers’ Union’s scrutiny is welcome. It sharpens our focus and keeps public discussion where it belongs: on results for households. I look forward to continuing to work with central and local partners to keep Whanganui moving forward — delivering the basics well, protecting household budgets, and giving permission to dare to dream about the so-called nice to haves which make our communities more liveable.”

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Rhys Hurley said:

“By sharing examples of councils that have achieved real efficiencies, we hope to encourage the adoption of best practice, reduce wasteful spending, and help restore public confidence in local government.”

The Taxpayers’ Union would like to thank the Councils who responded to the Union's invitation to submit ideas and examples of how their councils have saved ratepayer money.

The Taxpayers’ Union is adding its voice to the growing calls for the sale of the Government’s stake in Air New Zealand, saying taxpayers shouldn’t be forced to own a struggling airline and politicians are no good at running commercial businesses.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:

“Air New Zealand proves exactly why politicians should be nowhere near the controls of a commercial business. Since becoming Government-controlled, it’s become unreliable, expensive, down-market, and unable to wash its face financially. That’s not a strategic asset — it’s a national embarrassment sitting on the Crown’s balance sheet.”

“This is the only airline where you pay twice: once as a taxpayer and once as a passenger. It’s the worst of both worlds. Taxpayers carry the risk, customers wear the cost of the inefficiency.”

"Government ownership inevitably politicises governance, with the board inherently balancing two masters: commercial performance and political interests. That tension is built into the system.”

“Take the well-circulated rumour that Dame Therese Walsh is being lined up to be the next Governor-General. On the one hand, as Chair she is bound to act in the best commercial interests of the company. On the other, any director of a majority state-owned enterprise knows they must keep on side the political leadership of the day.”

“It’s naïve to pretend that doesn’t come at a price. Even if no explicit pressure is applied, the incentives are obvious. Political ownership inevitably distorts commercial judgement.”

“We saw precisely this during the recent industrial action by international aircrew. Under Government ownership, the unions knew they could apply political pressure. That leverage is used to push up the airline’s cost base in ways a purely private company would be far more resistant to.”

“Contrast with Qantas. As a privately owned airline, and not having to keep shareholding ministers happy, it's been far more successful at staring down the unions and keeping costs under control. Private ownership doesn’t eliminate tough negotiations, but it removes the political pressure point. That matters, because every concession driven by politics rather than performance ultimately shows up in higher fares for passengers and weaker returns for shareholders — including taxpayers.”

The Taxpayers’ Union rejects claims that majority state ownership is necessary to protect regional connectivity.

“If regional routes are genuinely uneconomic but socially necessary, then be transparent, tender, and contract them. Don’t hide behind majority ownership of a bloated airline and pretend that’s a policy.”

Williams said the Government should sell down its 51 percent stake, use the proceeds to pay down debt, and remove the politics from the airline once and for all.

“Air New Zealand used to be a national icon. Under political ownership, it’s fast becoming a national embarrassment.”

Disclosure: Jordan Williams also serves as a Vice President of the New Zealand Airline Passenger Association (PAX-NZ), commentating on aviation matters. He has previously accepted gifts from QANTAS (complimentary premium status) and Air New Zealand (corporate hospitality and sports tickets).

The Taxpayers’ Union is cautiously welcoming Environment Canterbury’s decision to scale back its planned annual rates increase from 17 percent to 3 percent.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:

“This will come as welcome relief for Canterbury ratepayers, who were hit with a 5.8 percent rates rise from ECan last year.

“However, we are concerned that the rates burden has been temporarily eased by cancelling or deferring infrastructure projects rather than finding permanent back-office savings. For example, ECan employs 354 staff paid more than $100,000 a year, including 148 managers paid an average of $147,655. Further savings could be locked in by implementing a hiring freeze on vacant positions."

“Ratepayers deserve genuine efficiency, not deferred investment.”

In answering questions about the proposed Auckland Harbour Bridge Toll yesterday, Chris Hipkins told media: "Tolling a new road is something Labour has been open to previously, tolling an existing road is something we've been opposed to".

"But that's a porkie pie,” points out the Taxpayers’ Union.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Tory Relf, said:

“Right now, the Government has a Bill before the Parliament to give Ministers the powers to toll existing roads - effectively changing tolls to taxes - and the replace the status quo of tolls only being applied to new roads. Despite what Mr Hipkins now claims, Labour voted for it."

"The election is nine months away, but Chris Hipkins is gaslighting New Zealanders when it comes to tax."

"It's bad enough 'no new taxes’ National aren't ruling out the proposal, but at least they're honest about it."

"In a cost of living crisis, Kiwis cannot afford new taxes, levies, or tolls. Hipkins says he knows so, but actions speak louder than words."

The Taxpayers’ Union says comments from the Chair of the Remuneration Authority on Newstalk ZB last night attempting to downplay massive council pay increases only reinforce the need for a taxpayer representative on the out-of-touch Remuneration Authority.

Applications for a vacant board position close tonight, and the Union is urging the Government to appoint a representative on the side of those who are paying the bills.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“The Remuneration Authority sets the overall remuneration pool per council – that’s the total amount councillors in each authority are paid each year – and then councils divvy it up amongst themselves.”

“The Authority seems to be hanging its hat on the fact councillors can decide how to allocate the pool across roles, but that doesn’t change the bottom line: The pool went up, the average pay went up, and ratepayers are left footing the bill.”

“In Western Bay of Plenty, the governance pool jumped and, after councillor numbers dropped from 11 to 9, the result was an average pay increase of 56.86 percent. But this isn’t a one-off: last year the Authority pushed through a 9.81 percent increase nationwide, more than three times inflation.”

“What we’re seeing is a complete breakdown in accountability. Councillors can claim ‘the Remuneration Authority set the pool’, while the Authority shrugs and says councils choose how to split it. Meanwhile, ratepayers still lose.”

“As the Minister responsible for the Remuneration Authority, Brooke van Velden oversees this appointment. As a member of the ACT Party - the Association of Consumers and Taxpayers - she should back that up by appointing an independent taxpayer advocate.”

“If the Authority is going to keep setting pay packets funded by ratepayers and taxpayers, then ratepayers and taxpayers deserve direct representation on that board. We’ll be encouraging qualified taxpayer advocates to apply before the deadline.”

The full Council Pay Rise Dashboard is available at https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/pay_rise_dashboard

Labour leader Chris Hipkins today ruled out tolling the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge.

Responding to this, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Tory Relf said:

“Tolling to pay for a new road is fair. Tolling a bridge that’s already been paid off is shamelessly raiding Aucklanders’ wallets.”

“Even Labour, who are currently campaigning on an inflation-taxing, small business-punishing capital gains tax, think this particular cash grab is a bridge too far.”

“If Labour can rule out the bridge tax, National must do the same.”

Responding to this morning’s announcement by the Minister of Finance that the Government will spend $200 million to buy half of Genesis Energy’s new share issue, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“This is an irresponsible use of money the Government simply does not have. If Genesis is such a great investment, private investors can fund it. There is no reason for the Government to step in with borrowed money and it’s even harder to swallow when $200 million is one-fifth of the expected cost of the proposed LNG plant in Taranaki — a project Ministers say must be paid for by taxing electricity users."

"The real motive appears to be preserving the Government’s 51 percent stake, but borrowing more just to cling to a majority shareholding makes no financial sense. If asset sales are being talked about for the future, as the PM has indicated, they should be considered now not after piling on more debt."

"Spending is already out of control and the debt keeps rising. The Taxpayers’ Union’s Debt Clock shows it now sits at the equivalent of $140,000 per household. Another $200 million in borrowing only adds to the tab. When will the Government stop mortgaging taxpayers’ futures?”

Responding to ACT Leader David Seymour’s “willingness to consider” selling gentailer shares to pay for the proposed new LNG terminal, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Rather than slapping Kiwis with a new gas tax, recycling capital out of the Gentailers to pay for the Government’s planned LNG terminal is a win-win for taxpayers: Future-proofing, no new taxes, and increased competition in the energy sector.”

“David Seymour is asking the right questions. Does government control benefit New Zealanders? Or does it result in gentailers too focused on dividends and not enough on investment and competition?

“Minister Seymour deserves credit for his willingness to consider whether taxpayers’ cash could be better invested elsewhere instead of new taxes, but willingness is only one small step towards actually doing it.”

The Taxpayers’ Union says today’s decision by the Reserve Bank to hold the Official Cash Rate at 2.25 percent shows inflation remains a serious problem and further interest rate relief is highly unlikely.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, James Ross, said:

“Today’s decision makes it clear inflation pressures haven’t gone away. Too much of that pressure is coming from sectors the Government has influence over. Electricity prices surged 12.2 percent, the largest increase since 1989, while local authority rates rose 8.8 percent. When power bills and council rates are rising steeply, monetary policy forces a rise in interest rates to combat the resulting inflation.”

"Allowing council rates to rise year after year well above inflation directly feeds into the CPI and makes the Reserve Bank’s job harder. If the Government is serious about supporting lower interest rates, it must rein in runaway council spending and cap rates now.”

“Further, shifting billions from one programme to another is not real savings, and spending in both nominal and real terms remains higher than under the previous Government. Persistent deficits mean continued borrowing, leaving New Zealand more exposed to global interest rates and rising debt servicing costs.”

“If the Minister of Finance wants durable interest rate relief, she must match monetary policy with genuine fiscal restraint. That includes capping council rates now. Budget 2026 will show whether the Government is prepared to make the tough calls needed to reduce expenditure, help get inflation under control and secure sustainable growth.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the Government’s plan to toll the existing Auckland Harbour Bridge to help fund a new Waitematā Harbour crossing.

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesperson Tory Relf says:

“For a party that campaigned on ‘no new taxes’, the National-led Government is sure as hell departing from the script. In the past two weeks alone, during a cost-of-living crisis, the Government has gone after power bills, commuters, mortgages, water charges, and even floated a bed tax — now they want to whack drivers crossing a harbour bridge that was paid for in full generations ago.”

“Let’s be clear: yes, Auckland needs a second harbour crossing, and yes, that new crossing should be tolled with a user-pays model.”

“But tolling the existing Harbour Bridge, a piece of infrastructure whose construction costs were paid off and tolls removed generations ago, breaks every part of that equation.”

“Any politician calling this proposed $9 per vehicle toll ‘user pays’ is gaslighting. Once you sever the link between the toll and the service a driver actually benefits from, it stops being a fee and starts being a tax. And a Government that promised no new taxes should understand the difference.”

“Minister Bishop has to sell this but make no mistake, the blame lies squarely at the feet of Nicola Willis. She is the one who has failed to follow through on the pre-election promises to get spending under control. As a result, Ministers are forced to scramble to find new revenue schemes just to pay for the basics.”

“Kiwis were promised discipline and no new taxes. What they’re getting is a Government that has continued Grant Robertson-era spending and now expect motorists to pay even more.”

“Right now, Willis is spending even more, even adjusting for inflation and population growth, than Grant Robertson, who Willis alleged had an ‘addiction to spending’. Willis’ failure to cut spending means their ‘no new taxes’ claims are hollow.”

“Fair enough tolls are put on new infrastructure but make no mistake: tolling a bridge that we paid for 60 years ago is not user pays, it’s yet another a tax grab.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the Government for using borrowed money to help bankroll an Australian sporting event, after this morning’s announcement that State of Origin will be coming to Auckland thanks to an A$5 million Government bid.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf says:

“Only days after preaching fiscal restraint at the NZ Economic Forum, the Government has apparently decided that announcing the borrowing of millions to subsidise an Australian rugby league spectacle is a better priority than fixing the basics here at home.”

“The real scandal here isn’t State of Origin, it’s the fact the Government is running a Major Events Fund fuelled by borrowed money while claiming it’s serious about restraint. If the Government genuinely believes these events stack up commercially, then the private sector can fund them”

“We thought this Government was serious about saving money, but clearly those principles have been thrown straight out the door in a desperate bid to look fun and flashy in an election year.”

“Kiwi taxpayers shouldn’t be footing the bill so Ministers can pose with rugby balls and high-five their mates at the stadium.”

ACT announced plans during their State of the Nation address to cap the number of ministers at twenty. Responding to this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“New Zealand’s government is a jumbled mess, with no one knowing which bureaucrats report to which ministers at any given time. MBIE alone answers to 21 different ministerial portfolios.”

“Blurred lines of responsibility undermine accountability and play into the hands of a bureaucracy that puts far too little stock in democratic oversight. One minister per department is the key to putting control back in voters’ hands.”

“But why stop at twenty Cabinet members? There is strong evidence that once boards grow beyond around a dozen members, coordination and accountability start slipping fast. Cabinet is no different, and if ACT is serious about whipping government into shape its plans should cut further.”

Amid reports that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given into pressure from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and agreed to consider a bed tax, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Who is running this government, the Prime Minister or Wayne Brown? A fortnight ago, Brown bullied Luxon into excluding Auckland stormwater from the Government’s rates cap. Now he’s been bullied into yet another tax."

“The so-called bed tax will be disastrous for many small accommodation providers while providing a slush fund that local politicians like Wayne Brown can dip into when they run out of ratepayer money."

“In his address to LGNZ in 2024, Luxon said he was committed to getting local government back to basics. He forgot to mention that Auckland is exempt.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Inland Revenue for hiding behind tax secrecy laws instead of notifying Police after receiving an alleged kidnapping claim linked to a tax scam.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tyler Groenewald says:

“When someone alleges they’ve been kidnapped, the response is simple: call the Police. Instead, IRD hid behind process.”

“Tax secrecy was never designed to be a shield for inaction. Kidnapping isn’t a tax matter, it’s a serious crime.”

Groenewald says the situation exposes troubling double standards.

“IRD had no problem sharing details with Meta. But when it came to reporting an alleged violent crime to Police there was silence.”

“If someone suffers because they contacted the wrong government agency, that’s not a minor oversight. That’s a catastrophic systems failure.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Inland Revenue to explain why Police were not notified and what will change to ensure serious criminal allegations are never ignored again.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act request that Inland Revenue spent $1.967 million on an outbound phone call campaign to encourage taxpayers to adopt two-factor authentication for their myIR accounts.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Too often government departments splash out on marketing campaigns while forgetting it’s taxpayers’ money they’re spending.”

“Inland Revenue is right to strengthen its data security, but spending nearly $2 million on phone calls and staff time raises serious questions for those footing the bill.”

“Even staff questioned whether the campaign was a success, with many recipients dismissing the calls as potential scams. When fraud-prevention calls are mistaken for fraud, something has clearly gone wrong.”

“With two-factor authentication now compulsory anyway, wouldn’t a simple pop-up on IRD’s website and a direct email to users have achieved the same outcome at a fraction of the cost?”

Responding to the Minister of Finance’s announcement today of an independent review into COVID-19 monetary policy, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson James Ross said the review is “long overdue”.

“The Reserve Bank pumped far too much money into the economy. The result was a surge in asset prices and the kind of inflation that has hammered households ever since.”

“When the Bank finally realised it had let the inflation genie out of the bottle, it responded with sharp rises in the Official Cash Rate. That response tipped the economy into recession: a recession the former Governor, Adrian Orr, quite publicly said was necessary.”

“But the downturn has been deeper and longer than even he appears to have anticipated.”

“A searching investigation into how the Reserve Bank assessed the situation, and how it reached its decisions, is desperately needed. The review must examine the apparent lack of coordination between monetary and fiscal policy, and recommend corrective action.”

“It also needs to scrutinise the Bank’s use of ‘alternative’ tools, including the scale, timing, and duration of those interventions.”

“The Bank brutalised the New Zealand economy to correct its own mistakes. New Zealanders are still living with the consequences of the worst Bank-induced recession in more than thirty years.”

“This cannot be a once-over-lightly desktop exercise. It must be a forensic examination that produces a practical blueprint to prevent a repeat of this economic disaster. The public deserve nothing less.”

“The review should also have the full legal powers of a government inquiry. Decision makers should be required to give evidence under oath and in public. These decisions had major, real-world impacts on New Zealanders’ lives, and transparency demands it.”

Responding to news that Christchurch City Council is proposing an 8 percent rates rise, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:

“Delaying the rates cap will cost ratepayers across the country, and Christchurch is no exception. Rates need capping now, not three years down the road.”

“Christchurch households are paying the price for the Government’s dilly-dallying. Another 8 percent rates hike is planned this year, on top of a staggering 24 percent increase over the past three years.

“With Local Government Minister Simon Watts postponing action until 2029, councils have every incentive to load costs onto ratepayers now and lock in a higher baseline. That doesn’t just mean higher rates this year; it means higher rates every year from here on out.”

The Taxpayers’ Union says Labour can scarcely believe its luck with the Government’s insistence that its proposed levy on electricity bills isn’t a tax because it’s a levy.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams said:

“We’ve been fielding calls and interview requests all day from people wanting to know whether we consider a levy a tax. The definition of a levy is literally ‘the act of imposing a tax, charge, or fine’. This isn’t complicated.”

“The last Prime Minister to try this line was Jacinda Ardern, who desperately wanted her clean car emissions levy not to be called what National quite rightly branded it at the time: the ute tax. Watching National now recycle Labour’s talking points is both ironic and alarming.”

Williams said while the case for improving energy security and addressing dry-year risk is legitimate, the decision to fund an LNG terminal through a compulsory charge on electricity bills was a political and policy blunder.

“This Government campaigned relentlessly on ‘no new taxes’, and warns voters that Labour and its Green and Te Pāti Māori partners would hike costs. Then it turns around and announces a new charge on one of the most sensitive household bills in the country. You don’t need a focus group to know how that lands.”

“There are clear alternatives. The Government could recycle a small portion of the $14 billion of energy assets it already owns and ring-fence the proceeds to fix the energy mess Labour left behind. Labour would struggle to criticise asset recycling when the money is used to stabilise supply and lower prices. Instead, National has chosen to tax power bills and argue about definitions.”

Williams warned that if the Government doesn’t change course, it risks undermining its core election message just months out from polling day.

“This is an unforced error. The LNG facility is defensible. Funding it through a levy on electricity is not. If National wants to keep its credibility on tax and not hand Labour a stick to whack back with, Mr Luxon should ditch the levy and insist his Ministers find another way to pay.”

Responding to today’s announcement of a new tax on the electricity sector, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Introducing a new tax during a cost-of-living crisis would be a huge political mistake. Luxon promised ‘no new taxes’, and he will destroy his credibility if he u-turns now.”

“You don’t make electricity bills cheaper by taxing them. Dancing on the head of a pin over what is a tax and what is a levy is a Labour Party talking point. Luxon should spare us the spin and abandon this folly.”

“Assuming the Government’s ballpark estimates are correct, based on last year’s total electricity generation Kiwi households are about to wake up to an extra cost of between $50 and $90 each."

“Make no mistake, a tax on power will hit jobs and make households worse off. If Luxon wants to spend money on LNG plants, he needs to find the money through savings elsewhere.”

Neither the Centre-Right or Centre-Left blocs have enough seats to form a Government in the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll.

The poll shows Labour drops 0.3 points to 34.1 percent, while National drops 0.2 points to 31.3 percent.

New Zealand First drops 1.4 points to 10.5 percent, while the Greens jump 2.6 points to 10.3 percent. ACT drops 0.3 points to 6.7 percent, while Te Pāti Māori drops 0.1 points to 2.9 percent.

Headline results and more information about the methodology can be found on the Taxpayers' Union's website at www.taxpayers.org.nz/0226_polltu

For the Minor parties, TOP is on 1.4 percent (+0.7 points), NZ Outdoors and Freedom is on 1.2 percent (+0.6 points), Vision NZ is on 0.4 percent (+0.1 points), and New Conservatives are on 0.1 percent (-0.2 points).

This month's results are compared to the last Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll conducted in January 2026, available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/jan26poll_nztucuria

The combined projected seats for the Centre-Right is down 3 to 60, while the combined seats for the Centre-Left rose 3 to 60. On these numbers, there would be a hung Parliament.

Cost of Living remains the most important issue, jumping 7.4 points to 34.9 percent. This is its highest result since May 2024.

The Economy more generally follows on 12.0 percent (-2.8 points), followed by Health on 9.2 percent (+0.4 points).

Commenting on the results, Taxpayers' Union Spokesman James Ross said:

"As we move deeper into election year, the race is neck-and-neck. This poll will serve as a wake-up call for the Government to lift its game."

"The sizeable shift in the seat numbers mostly reflects changes in support for the Greens and New Zealand First since last month."

"The other big shift is the increase in the number of voters more worried about the cost of living. It's now higher than anytime since May 2024. This is significant as it is counter to much of the media commentary about the recovering economy. Clearly people just aren't feeling it yet."

With more than 50 percent of Crown Regional Holdings’ loan portfolio at risk of default or impairment, the Taxpayers’ Union says the Government is gambling with taxpayers’ money.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“When politicians start sloshing money around to butter up voters, you can guarantee they’re making bad bets on behalf of taxpayers. The Government is taking on risk that private lenders wouldn’t touch through blatant pork-barrel politics.”

“Of Crown Regional Holdings’ $430 million portfolio, more than half is at risk of default. Whether it’s the last Government’s Provincial Growth Fund or this one’s Regional Infrastructure Fund, the results are the same.”

“So far in election year we’ve already seen $950,000 bunged to cowsheds in Taranaki and $10 million to a Bay of Plenty Marae, neither of which will touch the sides of New Zealand’s infrastructure deficit."

"It’s time to wrap up the slush funds.”

Kia ora,

If you saw yesterday's Taxpayer Update, you’ll know we’ve been keeping a close eye on the modern Waitangi ritual – politicians flying in, press releases rolling out, and tens of millions of dollars in so-called “gifts” being handed over at taxpayers’ expense.

That stuff deserves scrutiny. And we won’t stop calling it out.

But I also wanted to drop you a note today to say this plainly: Waitangi Day speaks directly to the values that underpin the Taxpayers’ Union – and not just because scrutinising government spending is the core of what we do.

For us, Waitangi isn’t about contemporary politics or activist theatre. It’s about one of the most remarkable New Zealanders who ever lived: Hōne Heke.

Hōne Heke – the country's first anti-tax campaigner

Too often, Hōne Heke is reduced to a caricature: “the man who chopped down the flagpole.”

What’s missing from most retellings is why he did it.

Hōne Heke wasn’t just protesting symbolism. He was protesting taxation.

In 1841, he was angered by the new Government’s introduction of tariffs on tea, sugar, flour, grain, spirits, tobacco, and other foreign goods — taxes that hit Māori trade in the north particularly hard.

Hōne Heke saw immediately that the Treaty he had signed was being followed by higher prices, reduced economic opportunity, and decisions being made without meaningful consent.

So he resisted. Not with speeches or submissions – but with the blunt tools available to him at the time.

It’s well documented that Hōne Heke was inspired by the way America had responded to British-imposed taxes with full-blown revolution. He even flew the American flag as a symbol of his anti-tax, anti-colonial protest (an image often left out of modern depictions of his rebellion).

And here’s the part that really matters: it worked.

After Hōne Heke’s rebellion, the Government abolished customs duties in the Bay of Islands and declared it a free port. Bad taxes were repealed because someone was willing to stand up and say, “this isn’t fair.”

Hōne Heke supported and was a signatory to the Treaty. His protest came when the Crown failed to honour it, particularly through unjust taxation and centralised decision-making.

He stood up for economic dignity, self-determination, and common sense. Ideals that transcend party lines, ethnicity, and political fashion.

That’s a lineage we’re proud to be part of.

Waitangi Day doesn’t belong only to politicians, separatist activists, or those who shout the loudest. It belongs to all New Zealanders who believe that power should be accountable, that taxation should be fair, and that ordinary people have the right – and sometimes the duty – to push back.

We don’t use axes anymore (thankfully). We use transparency, evidence, and public pressure.

But the principle is exactly the same.

So this Waitangi Day we’re remembering New Zealand’s original tax rebel and recommitting to the simple idea that government should respect the people who pay the bills.

Because Waitangi doesn’t belong to one ideology. And Hōne Heke's values of self-reliance and accountability are as Kiwi as it gets.

That’s why, today of all days, we’re recognising Hōne Heke as a Taxpayer Hero — and in his tradition we’ll keep defending taxpayers — calmly, firmly, and without apology.

Ngā mihi nui, thanks for standing with us. And happy Waitangi Day.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

ps. You can read more about why Hōne Heke is the de facto patron of the Taxpayers' Union here: Hōne Heke didn’t just cut flagpoles – he cut taxes.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is backing Federated Farmers’ alarm over draft resource management legislation that could open the door to effectively enabling a tax on water by stealth.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf says:

“This is exactly the kind of slippery, backdoor taxing power taxpayers have every right to be worried about. If the Government wants to fix planning laws, it should do so transparently, not sneak in the ability to tax water through future Ministerial decree.”

“Freshwater is already heavily regulated. Giving Ministers sweeping powers to auction rights or impose levies is not reform, it’s a blank cheque for future Governments to treat water as a cash cow.”

“Make no mistake: a water tax doesn’t just hit farmers. It flows straight through to higher food prices, higher costs for exporters, and higher bills for every New Zealander.”

“The whole point of replacing the Resource Management Act was to cut bureaucracy and restore property rights. Provisions like those allowing freshwater being auctioned, tendered, or levied undermine that promise and will only create more uncertainty, more compliance costs, and more distrust.”

“The Government must urgently clarify its intentions and scrap any clauses that allow freshwater rights to be effectively taxed. Kiwis were promised reform, not a new stealth tax.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to clarify media reports that he has struck a backroom deal with Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown to exempt the Super City from the rates cap.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Any backroom deals between the Prime Minister and the Mayor of Auckland would totally undermine what is already a watered-down policy.”

“As it stands, the Government’s so-called rates cap is more accurately described as a ban on rates freezes. And with implementation delayed until 2029, councils have another three years to jack up rates and set a high baseline for future rate hikes. All the cards are already being laid in councils’ favour.”

“As the Rates Cap Savings Dashboard shows, a two percent rates cap would have saved the average Auckland family $442 over the last three years, and that’s what the PM is signing away.”

“Exempting stormwater in Auckland would render a cap in the Super City meaningless. The Prime Minister needs to explain if he’s sabotaging his own Government’s policy, and if he intends to do the same for other councils across the country.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act requestthat staff at the Ministry of Education were paid $414,119.68 by taxpayers to do 8,528 hours of union work.

This includes organising and advocating on behalf of the New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI), the Public Service Association (PSA) and the Association of Professional and Executive Employees (APEX).

The response shows under current agreements that:

• NZEI staff are entitled to two hours per week of union work for 12 staff, equalling 1,248 hours per year or an estimated $60,602.88 of paid work.
• PSA staff are entitled to two full time co-convenors and a minimum of 5 hours per week for 12 National Delegates, equalling staff time of 7,280 hours per year or an estimated $353,516.80 of paid work.
• The Ministry of Education has also confirmed that PSA co-convenors are provided with free office space within Ministry buildings and the 7 APEX delegates are entitled to "support to fulfil their role."

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“This is a rort. Taxpayers are paying government employees to organise against the very system that employs them.”

“Ministry staff were paid to help coordinate strikes that last year left kids out of the classroom and parents forced to fund childcare. Minister Seymour has already announced that union strikes tanked school attendance last year."

“If a private company wouldn't pay staff to protest against itself, then why are taxpayers footing the bill for the Ministry to do so?"

"Somehow, when it’s done on the taxpayer’s dime, it’s seen as business as usual. Union work should be funded by union members, not by the public.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is backing a proposal by Christchurch City councillors to freeze the pay of chief executives and directors at council-owned companies, saying it is a positive step that should now be extended more broadly across the council.

Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“This is a constructive start, and we commend councillors willing to show restraint at the top. The Council’s chief executive has already acknowledged the pressure on ratepayers by taking a pay cut herself, and that example of frugality should now be reflected more widely across the organisation.”

“Christchurch City Council still employs more than 1,000 staff earning over $100,000 a year, including 45 paid more than a backbench Member of Parliament. As households brace for another significant rates increase, it’s fair to question whether this level of senior pay is sustainable.”

“Ratepayers are being asked to tighten their belts. It’s only reasonable that the same discipline shown by the chief executive is applied throughout senior management.”

“This isn’t about targeting individuals, it’s about priorities. With rates continuing to rise, the Council must show it is managing costs responsibly and living within its means.”

Responding to today’s reporting that Minister Willis expects the current rise in inflation to be "a blip", Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Minister Willis is sounding a lot like former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who dismissed rising inflation under the Biden administration and got it completely wrong. Minister Willis’ claim that the increase is mainly due to international factors downplays the domestic pressures her Government can actually influence.”

“As Kiwibank recently noted, it is the heat in domestic inflation that is most disappointing. High electricity prices driven by a cosy power sector oligopoly, and grossly excessive local government rate rises are major contributors. The Government knows this, but its responses have been ineffective or delayed.”

“The Government’s excessive spending is also adding fuel to the fire. Continuous borrowing is building a mounting debt pile, with Total Crown borrowing now nearly $2 billion a month. Financial markets are already signalling expectations that the Reserve Bank may need to bring forward interest rate hikes later this year. Mortgage rates have already started rising on that basis, and economist Brad Olsen has speculated the Reserve Bank could even lift rates as soon as May.”

“Budget 2026 is Minister Willis’ last real chance to show spending restraint. Continued failure to rein in government spending will cement a record of fiscal ill-discipline. Claims of a surplus at the end of every forecast period will keep losing credibility, and international credit ratings agencies will take notice.”

Responding to the public disagreement between the Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister over the India trade deal, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson James Ross said:

“Kiwis shouldn’t have to rely on hearsay and rumour to work out what their Government has committed them to.”

“When two of New Zealand’s most senior politicians are sniping at each other over a deal the public still can’t read, it’s absurd to not give Kiwis the chance to work out the truth for themselves.”

“Regardless of the content, the agreement has already been signed in New Zealanders’ name. What’s the harm in some public accountability?”

The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched its Councillor Salary Increase Dashboard, exposing the staggering pay hikes many councillors and mayors across New Zealand are receiving while ratepayers struggle with a cost-of-living crisis.

According to the latest dashboard data, local councillors have accepted an average 9.81 percent annual adjustment to their pay, while mayors have seen an average jump of 8.53 percent. These increases dwarf the 2.7 percent inflation rate recorded during the 2025 financial year.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“While many Kiwis struggled to afford summer treats this year, our local councillors have had no such concerns, pocketing huge pay hikes while rates explode. It is a kick in the teeth for ratepayers who have seen their average rates bill rise by 8.39 percent in the last year.”

“These figures don’t even include the 'top-up' allowances mayors and councillors receive, such as phones, laptops, printers, mileage reimbursements for driving to work, and childcare allowances. The system is broken and designed to prevent pay from being tied to performance or outcomes.”

“Take Queenstown-Lakes District Council for example. Despite having the largest per-capita debt burden in the country and hitting ratepayers with a whopping 50.23 percent rates increase in just three years, in percentage terms its councillors are receiving the second-highest pay increase in the country this year, while the mayor's ranks ninth.”

“Councils must be given the legal option to turn down these increases so ratepayers can see who is actually serious about easing the pressure on households.”

The full Councillor Salary Increase Dashboard can be accessed at https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/pay_rise_dashboard.

The top 10 biggest increases in councillor pay are: 

1. Western Bay of Plenty District Council – 56.86%
2. Queenstown-Lakes District Council – 33.13%
3. Selwyn District Council – 31.03%
4. Waimakariri District Council – 26.87%
5. Porirua City Council – 26.73%
6. Waipā District Council – 25.67%
7. Whanganui District Council – 24.66%
8. Invercargill City Council – 24.29%
9. Napier City Council – 20.84%
10. Tauranga City Council – 19.28%

 The top 10 biggest increases in mayoral pay are:

1. Mackenzie District Council – 15.02%
2. Tasman District Council – 12.01%
3. Wairoa District Council – 11.58%
4. Central Otago District Council – 11.46%
5. South Wairarapa District Council – 11.39%
6. Westland District Council – 11.18%
7. Hauraki District Council – 11.04%
8. Marlborough District Council – 10.99%
9. Queenstown-Lakes District Council – 10.83%
10. Chatham Islands Council – 10.66%

The Taxpayers’ Union says it’s time for ministers to answer some basic questions around the loss of the taxpayer-funded MethaneSAT satellite.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Taxpayers paid an astronomical $29 million for a satellite. What they got instead was a lesson in how easy it is to spend other people’s money. This project didn’t approve itself. Ministers signed it off, on advice from MBIE, and the choices behind that decision-making haven't yet been properly explained.”

“The Auditor-General can examine whether the paperwork was in order, but only ministers can explain why this gamble was taken in the first place.”

“The Government should now order a full ministerial inquiry into the funding decisions, risk assessments, and advice provided by MBIE so taxpayers can see exactly how this call was made. Maybe the inquiry should look at whether we need a space minister at all."

The following is an update emailed to Taxpayers' Union supporters on 28 January 2026.

Dear Supporter,

I'm Austin, a Policy Analyst here at the Taxpayers' Union.

Over summer, like most families, you probably packed the car, queued up a playlist, and hit the road. 

But you probably didn’t budget for tolls. You didn’t need to; there are only three toll roads in the whole of New Zealand (all in the North Island).  

But that's about to change. The Land Transport (Revenue) Amendment Bill moving through Parliament is about to significantly expand where and how tolls can be used across the country.  

Now that summer is over and Parliament is back at work, we need your support – sign the petition calling on the Minister of Transport to fix this Bill before it becomes law.

What fair tolling looks like and why this Bill is a problem

While tolling hasn't been used much in New Zealand, since the Muldoon-era it has always followed some core principles:

• First, tolling has always been targeted to motorists who benefit from a new road – i.e. those who use a toll road are paying for that particular road. No tolls are applied to existing roads (i.e. those already paid for).
  
  
• Second, people are only charged when they actually use the new road.
  
  
• Third, toll-free routes (usually the old road) remain available – allowing motorists to choose between new/tolled routes, and slower/untolled alternatives. 

The Government is proposing to effectively abandon all three of these principles! 

We're asking our supporters to sign the petition asking for changes to the Bill.

Unless changed, the Bill will allow future Governments to use tolls as general road taxes (eg. use tolls from one road to fund maintenance of another).

It will also allow tolling of existing roads, and even give ministers the power to force motorists to use tolled roads (and remove the right to use free alternatives).

We say that's unfair, and I'm asking for your support to tell the Government that.

Devil in the detail 🔎

Under the Bill, Transport ministers can approve tolls on existing roads simply because they sit within the same transport corridor as a new project. The Bill does not clearly define what a corridor is – which represents a real risk to your wallet.

In practice, so-called corridor tolling will likely mean paying a toll even if you never use the new infrastructure being funded. You may just be travelling somewhere along the same or adjacent general area.

For example, a new interchange could be built along a major highway to serve a growing area. Drivers who never take that exit could still be required to help pay for it, simply because they travel along the same "corridor".

The Bill then goes a step further by allowing toll money to be used on maintaining the (toll-free) routes people take instead of the toll road.

In plain terms, a driver could pay a toll to use a new road, only to have part of that money redirected to fix or maintain a different road they are not driving on at all.

Once people are charged for infrastructure they do not directly benefit from, tolling stops being user pays. It becomes yet another general tax on motorists.

Charging motorists twice 🛑

By removing the ring-fencing of toll revenue and allowing tolls to pay for maintenance of old/existing roads, it will see motorists pay twice.

Motorists already pay for road maintenance through Fuel Excise Duty and Road User Charges. Those charges are specifically meant to cover the upkeep of the roads we already use.

Using toll money for the same purpose means motorists would be paying twice for the same roads.

If you agree that's not fair and not transparent, please take a moment to sign the petition.

The power to force vehicles to use toll routes 🛻

The Bill goes even further by allowing the Minister of Transport to restrict certain vehicles from using untolled alternative routes.

That means some freight operators could be forced onto toll roads whether they want to use them or not. When trucks have no choice but to pay tolls, the cost of moving goods goes up.

Those extra costs do not stay with trucking companies. They are built into the price of food, building materials, household goods, and services. Over time, even small increases in transport costs add up at the checkout.

At a time when families are already stretched, and the cost of living remains front of mind, this is the wrong direction.

Let's fix the Bill ✅

The Taxpayers’ Union are calling on the Government to amend the Bill by:

• Clearly defining what a “corridor” is, so toll revenue is only applied to the actual road being used and tolled
  
  
• Ensuring toll revenue is not used for existing road maintenance or alternative routes, which creates double charging
  
  
• Keeping alternative routes available so tolling remains a true 'user-charge' initiative

As you travel around the country this summer, the last thing you should worry about is being charged for roads you never use or already paid for the upkeep of through other taxes.

We need your voice. Sign the petition calling on the Government to fix this Bill before it becomes law. 

✍️ > Sign the petition < ✍️

Tolling only works if it is fair, transparent, and true to user-pays. Once that principle is broken, drivers lose trust in the system.

I hope you'll support us on this issue,

Austin Ellingham-Banks Policy Analyst New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union www.taxpayers.org.nz

While ratepayers across the country faced double-digit rate hikes, mayors and councillors up and down New Zealand once again saw their salaries increase this year.

On average, councillors had their pay packets increased by 9.81 percent between 2025 and 2026, while mayors saw an 8.53 percent boost to their pay.

See how much more money your local elected representatives are taking home below.

*Mayors' salaries were gathered from Remuneration Authority data for each council. Average councillors' salaries were calculated by dividing each councils' governance remuneration pool by the number of councillors in each local authority. Scroll down to see Mayors' pay.

The Taxpayers’ Union says the Government’s $10 million Ringatū marae announcement is election-year pork-barrel politics, funded through loosely-governed slush funds with little accountability to taxpayers.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“We heard the same excuses with the Murihiku Marae during COVID, when spending was dressed up as ‘job creation’. Now, in an election year, the Regional Infrastructure Fund is being treated as a political piggy bank.”

“This money is borrowed and signed off with minimal scrutiny, and future taxpayers will be left paying the bill, plus interest.”

“If the project genuinely stacks up, it should go through the normal Budget process, not be waved through under the cover of an election-year slush fund.”

Happy Saturday! Welcome to the first Taxpayer Update of 2026. As you'll see, the team are back into it fighting for transparency and accountability of how taxpayer and ratepayer money is being spent.

EXPOSED: Local councillors pocket HUGE pay hikes while rates explode 💸

While many Kiwis struggled to afford the summer treats, no such concerns the country's local councillors, according to the latest ratepayer dashboard published by your humble Taxpayers' Union.

Over summer, the team snuffed out the 2025 salary and meeting honorarium "entitlement" hikes for every New Zealand council. Let's just say you'll need to be sitting down for this...

While inflation was 2.7 percent during the 2025 financial year, local councillors merrily accepted a 9.8 percent (on average) annual adjustment to their pay!  For mayors, it's little better, with the average Mayoral salary jumping 8.5 percent for the year.

👉 See how much your local councillors and mayor have paid themselves here

Meanwhile, the figures listed do not include the extra allowances mayors and councillors get as top-ups: phones, laptops, printers, milage (literally they get reimbursed for driving to work!), and even childcare allowances - which allows councillors and local board members to claim up to $6,000 per year from ratepayers for childcare.

Performance pay, yeah right! 🤪

While local council decision makers sit pretty, local ratepayers are still being hammered. Remember the average rates bill is up 34 percent over the last three years!

Take Queenstown-Lakes District Council. Local ratepayers have copped an average rates increase of more than fifty percent in just three years, and the Council has the largest per-capita debt burden in the country. Yet those councillors are pocketing the second-highest pay rise in the country, and the mayor ranks ninth. 🤔

The reform Local Government Minister Simon Watts won't touch 🫣

The real issue here isn't actually the councils, it's the fault of the Government for screwing the scum against ratepayers. Successive Governments have appointed professional bureaucrats and career politicians onto the "independent" Remuneration Authority.

The system of broken. The whole regime is designed to prevent pay being tied to performance or outcomes. Ratepayers (and taxpayers) aren't just denied representation, the Remuneration Authority is one of the few public agencies that is not even subject to freedom of information law – so they never have to show their working.

{{recipient.first_name_or_friend}}, sunlight is the best disinfectant - and the more the voting public understand how local government is turning from 'public service' into 'highly paid entitlement', the more pressure there will be to fix it.

There are some easy fixes we'd start with: first, councillor and mayoral remuneration should be set once a three year term, not hiked every year.

Second, councils should be given the option to turn down these annual pay increases. That way ratepayers would know whether councils are serious about easing the pressure on households.

See how the pay packets of your local representatives compare here.

Auckland Council at its best: watering a rainstorm 🌧️

This week, in the midst of the massive rain storms that have been battering the North Island, an Auckland Council contractor was spotted watering a tree.

Yes, you read that right. Not a drizzle. Not “cloudy but dry”. Proper summer rain - the kind that has gutters overflowing and streets flooding - and Auckland Council had a bod out watering the plants.

Auckland Council’s response was a lame “We all make mistakes.” Sure. But this one is less “oops” and more perfect snapshot of how local government operates and the misaligned incentives.

While rain is hammering the city and drains are struggling to cope, someone is being paid to do a task that is not only unnecessary, but actively pointless. If there was ever a moment to apply common sense, this was it. Wouldn't the time have been better spent clearing drains, checking stormwater grates, or preventing the flooding we all end up paying for later?

ACC’s plan to avoid a $26 billion hole: do the basics… faster 🏃‍♂️💸

This week, the Accident Compensation Corporation - ACC - has admitted the quiet part out loud: if nothing changes, its deficit is on track to blow out to a staggering $26 billion by 2030.

The word hole is an understatement. $26 billion is equivalent to $12,700 for every Kiwi household in forecast overspending

The solution? ACC now says it will focus on rehabilitating claimants faster and getting people back to work sooner, including hiring hundreds more claims managers and pushing for more “active participation” in recovery.

That all sounds sensible, but raises a rather obvious question: why wasn’t ACC doing this already?!

The blow-out isn’t because Kiwis suddenly started injuring themselves more, it’s because claims have dragged on longer, weekly compensation costs have ballooned, and long-term liabilities have exploded. The deficit has always been a management problem, not an accident problem.

And while ACC insists this won’t mean cutting cover, we all know what happens next if the numbers don’t stack up: higher levies on workers and businesses.

If ACC wants taxpayers to believe this turnaround plan, it needs to prove it can manage claims efficiently without simply clipping the ticket harder.

So one we'll be watching closely... 🧐

New Report Peeks into the Books: MPs’ Expenses Compared 🥸

Over the summer break, you may have seen the social media commentary about the report we published on 5 January laying out the hard numbers on who is spending what in Parliament. 

We found that MPs have spent nearly $15 million in taxpayer money over the past 21 months while continuing to withhold line-by-line expense information, leaving taxpayers unable to see what their dollars are actually being spent on. 

Our analysis shows wide variation in both individual and party spending. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi recorded the highest individual Parliamentary Service expenditure over the period at $273,681, followed by Labour MP Damien O’Connor and Greens MP Hūhana Lyndon. 

When some MPs cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars more than their colleagues, perfectly reasonable questions follow. But because Parliamentary Service spending has special carveout from the Official Information Act (just like, the Remuneration Authority - see above!) the public aren't allowed to access to the receipts. So much for the right of taxpayers to know where there money is going...

Opening the books would let the numbers speak for themselves.

Read the research report over on our website.

REPORT: Why Indexing Tax Thresholds Makes More Sense than Labour's 'free' taxpayer funded GP visits 📋

The second paper we released over summer Robbing Peter to Pay Paul’s Doctor: Why Indexing Tax Thresholds Makes More Sense exposes how the Governments' failure to adjust income tax thresholds aren’t to inflation, sees the average Kiwi is already $238 worse off — and that figure will keep climbing every year politicians do nothing.

While Labour want an approach of taxing more to pay for a Medicard scheme for three 'free', sorry, taxpayer-funded GP visits per year, we show how ending bracket creep provides more effective household relief than a universal GP subsidy.

Ending bracket creep means taxpayers are not punished for inflation ≠

Tourism NZ’s Instagram celebrity splurge: $9.4 million spent but receipts “commercially sensitive”🤫 🤳

Finally this week, our investigations team revealed over the Christmas break that Tourism New Zealand has spent more than $9.4 million of taxpayer money on social media influencers since 2023.

That’s 65 so-called "influencers", promoting everything from destination marketing to online shopping campaigns and even Minecraft downloadable content.

Despite spending millions, Tourism NZ won't tell us what individual influencers were paid or what taxpayers actually got in return — they're hiding behind a filter of “commercial sensitivity”.

We’re assured the campaigns delivered “sky high advertising value”, but when it comes to the evidence, they won't supply the numbers.

Jordan joined Newstalk ZB's Summer Breakfast to talk through the influencer spend, the refusal to release basic figures, and why “commercial sensitivity” is becoming the default excuse for secrecy in government agencies.

👉 Listen to the Newstalk ZB interview here

RIP Garrick Tremain

Over the summer period, we were very sad learn of the passing of New Zealand’s finest and most influential political cartoonist of the contemporary era. Garrick Tremain was a treasured supporter of the Taxpayers' Union, and happy to known as a significant financial contributor. I thought it was worth repeating Jordan’s comments to the media, in case you missed the news:

Garrick Tremain was a national institution. His intelligence, humour, and insight shaped political debate in this country for generations. He had an extraordinary talent for exposing hypocrisy and absurdity with a pen, and he did so fearlessly. His passing is a genuine loss to us, and to New Zealand’s political and cultural life.

For decades, Garrick's work cut through political spin with intelligence, clarity, and unmistakable wit. His cartoons were never merely humorous; they were incisive, challenging, and often uncomfortable for those in power.

In recent years, we were honoured to count Garrick as a supporter of the Taxpayers’ Union. His financial support was generous, principled, and grounded in a shared belief that robust criticism is essential to a healthy democracy.

The Taxpayers’ Union extends its deepest sympathies to Garrick Tremain’s family and friends. His unique contribution to public discourse will be profoundly missed.

Late last year, Peter Williams sat down with Garrick for a wide ranging conversation for our podcast, Taxpayer Talk. You can listen via our website here (or via all the usual podcast apps by searching for "Taxpayer Talk").

Thanks for your support,

Tory Relf Head of Comms New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

PS. With election year underway, we’re leading the fight to put taxpayers at the heart of election promises. But we can’t do that without your support. Thank you to everyone who donated to our Election Fighting Fund earlier this week - I can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2026.

In November 2025, Garrick Tremain joined Peter Williams to discuss his colourful life as one of New Zealand’s finest and most influential political cartoonists of the contemporary era

New Zealand First rise to their highest ever result in a Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll (polling since January 2021). The Coalition also strengthen their lead.

The poll shows Labour gain 2.8 points to 34.4 percent, while National gains 1.5 points to 31.5 percent.

New Zealand First gain 3.8 points to 11.9 percent, while the Greens drop 3.1 points to 7.7 percent. ACT drops 1.9 points to 7.0 percent, while Te Pāti Māori drops 0.1 points to 3.0 percent.

Headline results and more information about the methodology can be found on the Taxpayers' Union's website at www.taxpayers.org.nz/jan26poll_nztucuria

For the minor parties, TOP is on 0.7% (-0.9 points), NZ Outdoors and Freedom is on 0.6% (-0.4 points), New Conservatives are on 0.3% (-0.7 points), and Vision NZ is on 0.3% (nc).

This month's results are compared to the last Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll conducted in December 2025, available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/25dec_polltucur

The combined projected seats for the Centre-Right is up 2 seats to 63, while the combined seats for the Centre-Left is down 2 to 57. On these numbers, the Centre-Right bloc could form a Government.

However, net country direction has dropped 9.8 points to -16.4 percent. 32.6 percent (-5.7 points) say the country is headed in the right direction, while 49.0 percent (+4.1 points) say it is headed in the wrong direction.

Commenting on the results, Taxpayers' Union Spokesman James Ross said:

"This is the first poll since the Government kicked any plans for a surplus back until next decade, and people have clearly taken that to heart. Half of Kiwis now think the country is on the wrong track, compared to just a third who are happy with the direction."

"However, New Zealand First will definitely be happy with how they're entering election year. This is their highest ever result in a Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll, at almost double their support during the last election."

Chris Hipkins’ election year has already gone off the rails, with the former Prime Minister falsely claiming New Zealand’s structural deficit was created by the current Government rather than being inherited from Labour.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Treasury’s own estimates show New Zealand has been in structural deficit on average since 2019/20 — when Labour was in government — so only blaming Nicola Willis for the overspending Labour set in motion is pure election-year fiction.”

"That deficit is the direct result of Labour’s high-spend, big-government agenda, with enormous spending commitments locked in on their watch. Even more worrying is that Labour appears to be lining up a return to that same high-spend agenda after the election, which would only entrench deficits and push the bill onto taxpayers."

“Treasury must now step in to correct the record. When a politician misrepresents Treasury’s own advice, the Secretary to the Treasury has a responsibility to publicly set the facts straight. Taxpayers deserve honesty, not revisionist economics designed to dodge accountability.”

“Labour wrote the cheques and made the commitments. Now, at the start of election year, they’re trying to blame the messenger.”

Responding to reports that officials are floating an interim regulator for council development levies, despite the regime not coming into force until mid-2028, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said the Government should stick with the Commerce Commission from day one.

“There’s no logic in inventing a temporary regulator when there are still two years to get this right. The Government is right to back the Commerce Commission from the outset.”

“Claims from officials that proper oversight would undermine local democracy are bizarre. Ratepayers have suffered years of cost blowouts and weak accountability. Forcing councils to properly justify how they spend other people’s money would strengthen local democracy, not weaken it.”

“The Commerce Commission already regulates complex infrastructure monopolies like electricity lines and gas pipelines. It has the expertise and credibility to design a robust, independent process for setting development levies and to keep councils honest.”

“The Government should rule out any interim regulator and confirm now that the Commerce Commission will be the permanent watchdog. If councils want ratepayers’ trust, they need real scrutiny, not another layer of bureaucratic make-believe.”

Newsroom has reported that Christchurch City Council is now charging builders for re-inspections even where no remedial work is required. This follows an admission by Local Government Minister Simon Watts that his proposed rates cap model is intended to shift revenue from rates to higher user charges.

Responding to this, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Councils will find any way they can to avoid making savings. Christchurch City Council double-charging developers is a harbinger of what’s to come across the country if we make that easy for them by leaving gaping loopholes in the rates cap.”

“The solution is for a comprehensive cap that also covers charges and fees. Councils need to focus on finding real savings and efficiencies rather than ways to just shuffle the cost burden around.”

“Moving towards a user-pays model would be great, but that doesn’t mean further driving up the cost of living. Of course car park users, developers, and pet owners should cover their own costs, but they shouldn’t have to subsidise their council’s wasteful spending.”

The Taxpayers' Union can reveal that Radio NZ managers now make up nearly 30% of RNZ’s workforce, compared to just 60% for journalists. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 

“63 managers for 220 journalists is a worrying imbalance which explains RNZs sinking viewership at the start of the year.” 

“That imbalance is also reflected in the pay bill. The number of staff paid more than $100,000 has climbed to 178, up from 107 in 2023. That’s pushed the public broadcaster’s salary bill to $42.2million.” 

“With the already low public trust in media, this rise in managerial positions must be affecting story coverage. Journalists once reported to an Editor. Bring back those days.” 

The Taxpayers' Union Christmas Box contains a media release for each day over the Christmas break. You can download the Christmas Box below.

The media releases and their relevant embargoes are as follows:

EMBARGOED UNTIL 00:01 ON DATE SPECIFIED: 

• Mon 22 Dec – REVEALED: Creative New Zealand’s $255,000 Global Spending Spree 

• Tue 23 Dec – REVEALED: Fonterra Milks Taxpayers For $3 Million in Grants Despite Monopoly Status 

• Mon 29 Dec – REVEALED: Which Taranaki Council Has the Worst Drivers?  

• Tue 30 Dec – REVEALED: E-Scooter Injuries Now Cost ACC More Than $14 Million a Year  

• Wed 31 Dec – REVEALED: $2.5 Million for Spin Doctors In Demographic Ministries   

• Thurs 1 Jan – New Year’s Resolution: 2026 is the year to Open the Books 

• Mon 5 Jan – NEW BRIEFING PAPER: A Peek into the Books: MPs’ Expenses in Numbers   

• Tue 6 Jan – REVEALED: Tourism NZ’s Influencer Spend Hides Behind $9.4 Million 

• Wed 7 Jan – NEW BRIEFING PAPER: Robbing Peter to Pay Paul’s Doctor: Why Indexing Tax Thresholds Makes More Sense 

• Thu 8 Jan – REVEALED: Department Of The Prime Minister And Cabinet Caught With Its Tabs Down AGAIN  

• Fri 9 Jan – REVEALED: RNZ’s Growing Bureaucracy With 1 Manager for Every 4 Journalists 

For media enquires on specific releases, please contact the person listed under the release.

For general media enquiries until Sunday 11 January, please contact [email protected]

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union can reveal that over eleven months the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (DPMC) recorded 27 instances of staff attempting to access adult entertainment websites on government devices. Three more recorded access attempts than were recorded in the previous year. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley said: 

“Last year we exposed 24 attempts to access adult content in this same department. You’d think after all the publicity they’d keep their hands off the keyboard. Instead, they're trying to access porn at work even more often.” 

“New Zealanders don’t pay public servants to view X-rated websites. The Beehive insists it reminds staff about acceptable IT use, but nobody has been told to pack their bags.” 

“These latest incidents suggest some staff have far too much time or imagination on their hands. If nothing else, it shows the public service could do with fewer people and a bit more discipline.” 

Our media release on thie 2024 figures can be found here. 

• 2023: 18 incidents, costing $7,390.48
• 2024: 18 incidents, costing $8,041.65
• 2025 to 1 October: 9 incidents, costing $5,043.29

A new Taxpayers’ Union briefing paper, Robbing Peter to Pay Paul’s Doctor: Why Tax Indexing Makes More Sense, shows the tax system is quietly making cost-of-living pressures worse through “bracket creep”, pushing workers into higher tax bands simply because of inflation — the Christmas Grinch pinching a little extra from Kiwi pay packets. 

Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst, Austin Ellingham-Banks, said:  

“Bracket creep has already seen the average Kiwi lose $238 since the income tax brackets were adjusted in 2024 simply because tax brackets haven’t kept pace with inflation. The loss is set to grow year after year if nothing changes.” 

“That $238 alone is enough to pay for four GP visits a year at average district prices, which exceeds the three visits Labour’s Medicard would offer. The difference is that indexation lets families decide how to use their own money, rather than funneling relief through a single, government-designed scheme that only applies if you happen to need a doctor.” 

“Indexing tax brackets is simple, fiscally responsible, and universal. It stops future inflation-driven tax hikes, avoids pushing unnecessary demand onto already stretched GP clinics, and gives households flexibility as costs rise.  

“With Budget 2026 looming, the Finance Minister has a clear choice: act now to prevent further bracket creep or let the inflation tax keep quietly eroding pay packets.” 

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal Tourism New Zealand has spent more than $9.4 million on social media influencers since 23/24, without providing any breakdown of this spending and citing commercial sensitivity. 

The response shows that 65 influencers across global markets were engaged to promote campaigns ranging from destination marketing to Minecraft downloadable content and online shopping promotions. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 

“Tourism New Zealand has racked up likes, views, and follows, but when it comes to hard numbers, the agency can’t actually show what these influencers delivered.” 

“Taxpayers are told this spending produced sky high advertising value, yet how does this prove whether influencers made a meaningful difference or were just along for the ride.” 

“If influencers are being paid to sell New Zealand to the world, taxpayers deserve to know how much they were directly paid and what they actually delivered in return.” 

“Influencer marketing might look good on a screen, but public spending needs to stand up to scrutiny. Until Tourism New Zealand can show clear results, this looks more like chasing clicks than accountability.” 

A new Taxpayers’ Union briefing paper shows Members of Parliament have spent nearly $15 million in Parliamentary Service funding over the past 21 months while continuing to withhold line-by-line expense information, leaving taxpayers unable to see what their dollars are being spent on. 

A Peek into the Books: MPs’ Expenses in Numbers, is based on Parliament’s own disclosures. The analysis shows wide variation in both individual and party spending. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi recorded the highest individual Parliamentary Service expenditure over the period at $273,681, followed by Labour MP Damien O’Connor and Greens MP Hūhana Lyndon. 

“Over just 21 months MPs have spent close to $15 million through the Parliamentary Service on travel, accommodation, and transport,” said Taxpayers’ Union Policy Analyst Austin Ellingham-Banks. 

Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi is the highest-spending Member of Parliament. 

“When some MPs cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars more than their colleagues, perfectly reasonable questions follow. Those questions may have perfectly reasonable answers, but because Parliamentary Service spending has special carveout from the Official Information Act, the public aren't allowed to access to the receipts.” 

“This briefing simply lays out the (albeit limited) numbers Parliament itself releases. If those figures raise eyebrows, the obvious fix isn’t fewer questions; it’s more transparency. Every other public employee is subject to freedom of information law, MPs should be no exception. Opening the books would let the numbers speak for themselves.” 

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for 2026 to be the year that MPs’ expenses become publicly available under the Official Information Act. At the moment, the public only access MP’s total spending, with the details of transactions and goods/services kept secret. 

 Taxpayers’ Union Head of Policy and Legislative Affairs, James Ross, said: 

“Ministers’ expenses are publicly available. Public servants’ expenses are publicly available. And in most democracies across the world, MPs’ expenses are publicly available. Why not in New Zealand?” 

“When any information does surface, it is through controversy rather than transparency. Te Pāti Māori’s junkets overseas and Labour’s hiring of a social media manager are just some of the examples that have been made public.” 

“That lack of transparency is why 18,397 Kiwis submitted to the Select Committee calling on Parliament to Open the Books. But MPs ignored those who pay their bills, passing the Parliament Billwithout any amendments to make Parliament’s spending transparent.” 

“New Zealand MPs like to claim that our Government is open and transparent. But this is the fly in the ointment.  We say 2026 should be the year to bring us into line with other jurisdictions. Taxpayers should be able to know what their representatives are spending our money on.” 

“What better New Year’s Resolution than bringing New Zealand into line with transparent Parliamentary democracies? Let’s get it done.” 

The petition to Open the Books can be found at www.OpenTheBooks.nz. 

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that up to $2,457,105.03 is being spent annually on 19 communications staff across the four demographic ministries. 

Among the ministries reporting their spending: 

• Ministry of Disabled People spent $549,529.03 on salaries to employ four staff paid on average $137,382. 

• Ministry for Ethnic Communities cost taxpayers up to $438,279 for three staff paid on average $146,093. 

• Ministry for Pacific Peoples salary expenditure of $568,000 has five staff paid on average $113,600. 

• Ministry for Women overall salaries of up to $901,297 to employs six staff paid on average $150,216. 

“$2.5 million is being spent on communications teams in ministries that are supposed to primarily about policy advice is totally unreasonable,” says Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley. 

“Taxpayers – with a median wage of $71,760 – will be shocked how much these behind-the-scenes Wellington spin doctors being paid.” 

“It's this sort of waste that sees the Government borrowing $75 million every day just to pay the bills. And with the demographic ministries and agencies are costing taxpayers $672.14 million each year, it’s no wonder their continued existence is being questioned.” 

“Taxpayers would barely notice if these Ministries were scrapped, it would eliminate wasteful spending and likely streamline the delivery of frontline services. Necessary functions could easily be merged into mainstream ministries.” 

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that ACC paid out $14,474,256 in e-scooter injury costs last year alone, nearly doubling the 2022 cost. 

ACC data shows the worst regions for e-scooter accidents are Auckland (1193), Canterbury (748), and Wellington (288). Besides losing balance, colliding or slipping, these accidents also include driving into holes and striking animals. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 

“ACC spent more than $14 million on e-scooter injuries last year and the trend is quickly getting worse, not better. These are massive costs landing on taxpayers for what are often avoidable accidents.” 

“You can’t look at the data and pretend this is just bad luck. Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch now have thousands of scooter-related claims between them. It's clear riders must take some liability for their own actions.” 

“With the cost of existing claims already at $65 billion, how much longer can this system last? Should those who don't wear a helmet or refuse to ride responsibly continue to be covered by the cracking system?” 

The Taxpayers’ Union today mourns the passing of Garrick Tremain, widely regarded as New Zealand’s finest and most influential political cartoonist of the contemporary era.

Jordan Williams, Executive Director of the Taxpayers’ Union, said:

"Garrick Tremain was a national institution. His intelligence, humour, and insight shaped political debate in this country for generations. He had an extraordinary talent for exposing hypocrisy and absurdity with a pen, and he did so fearlessly. His passing is a genuine loss to us, and to New Zealand’s political and cultural life."

"For decades, Garrick's work cut through political spin with intelligence, clarity, and unmistakable wit. His cartoons were never merely humorous; they were incisive, challenging, and often uncomfortable for those in power."

"In recent years, we were honoured to count Garrick as a supporter of the Taxpayers’ Union. His financial support was generous, principled, and grounded in a shared belief that robust criticism is essential to a healthy democracy," said Williams.

The Taxpayers’ Union extends its deepest sympathies to Garrick Tremain’s family and friends. His unique contribution to public discourse will be profoundly missed.

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal which Taranaki councils have the best and worst record for crashing council pool vehicles in the last 12 months.

South Taranaki District Council reported two, Stratford District Council five, and New Plymouth District Council twenty-nine, but did not record whether disciplinary action was taken for any of the smashes.

Taranaki Regional Council reported 50 incidents, topping the fender bender rankings for last year.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“The data shows Taranaki Regional Council has, by a country mile, the worst drivers in the region. From backing into posts to hitting troughs, and even a collision with a bull, the council’s officials appear to be as freewheeling with vehicles as they are with ratepayer money."

“Taranaki Regional Council staffers need to be reminded that they are not auditioning for the local demolition derby."

“South Taranaki District and Stratford District councils, even adjusted for their size, are much safer drivers."

“As is shown by the private sector, there are easy fixes to dangerous fleet driving through staff training, enforcing policies, and in some cases simply reconsidering who they hand the keys to.”  

Dear Supporter,

As the country winds down for Christmas, the wheels of Government (waste) have continued to turn. This week, we’re bringing you the latest on the state of the Government’s books, breaking down Minister Bishop’s latest reforms (another mega-department, anyone?), and we’ve got a surprising Taxpayer Hero story uncovered by our research team.

Plus, we wrap up this year’s Taxpayer Talk podcasts with a banger of an episode from Jordan and David Cohen, author of Jacinda: The Untold Stories. Let’s go.

The Fiscal Elephants are real (and they’re not going anywhere) 🎪🐘

As you may have caught in the media last week, we caused a bit of a stir by pointing out the fiscal elephants in the room — but last week's Half Year Fiscal and Economic Update (HYEFU) confirmed what we already knew: despite the big talk, the numbers show that Government is failing to get the books back into shape.

For the third time in just two years, Minister Nicola Willis has pushed the surplus further down the road and increased how much the Government needs to borrow just to keep the lights on. Even using her made-up OBEGALx measure — which excludes eye-watering ACC and climate liabilities — the books don’t return to black until 2030. On the traditional OBEGAL measure, Treasury forecasts that New Zealand will never get back into operating surplus.

Our policy guru, James, was in the Treasury lock-up and gave these comments to the media:

“When Nicola Willis took up the reins as Finance Minister in December 2023, a surplus was only three and a half years away in 2027. Now it’ll take six and a half years instead, with the surplus slipping further back to 2030.”

“The Finance Minister says we’re on the right track to reach surplus, but we seem to be walking backwards. Every time Treasury opens the books, balancing them seems like more of a pipe-dream.”

“The Budget in May predicted a $214 million surplus by 2029. Within six months, that’s deteriorated by more than $515 per household, projecting a $945 million deficit for the year even using the Minister’s custom OBEGALx measure.”

“There’s only so far we can keep kicking the can down the road. The Robertson-Willis spend-and-borrow approach isn’t working, and Budget 2026 needs to deliver a realistic pathway back to surplus.”

Indeed.

On a more positive note, it's good to see some GDP growth, with Stats NZ releasing the latest quarterly statistics showing a 1.1 percent increase.

This is wonderful news, but we have some catching up to do. GDP per capita remains 2.6 percent smaller than when the last Government left office, and – as Treasury are at pains to point out – growth alone won't be enough to fix the structural deficit faced by the Government.

Put bluntly: Government spending must come down if we are to avoid the sort of shock and pain experienced in the 1990s. Ouch.

One Ministry to Rule Them All? Bishop’s mega-merger gets a cautious tick 👷🏻‍♂️

While James was in the lock-up with Nicola Willis for the opening of the Government's books, Christopher Bishop was busy unveiling his new 'mega-ministry' that will roll in the Ministries of Environment, Transport, Housing & Urban Development, plus the local government functions of Internal Affairs. The plan is to have it operational by the middle of 2026.

We're cautiously optimistic. On the one hand New Zealand has far too many departments and ministries but on the other, simply creating another MBIE-style super-ministry doesn’t magically fix overstaffing or productivity problems. In particular, having government agencies reporting to multiple Ministers is a recipe for muddled responsibility and accountability to no one.

But — and it’s a big but — credit where it’s due. Minister Bishop is acknowledging a problem and taking steps to fix it. Many of New Zealand’s biggest policy headaches are deeply intertwined: housing, climate policy, transport, and infrastructure. Having those government policy functions within a single entity makes sense. 

Where mergers can go wrong is where the end product is even larger than its parts (I'm looking at you, Auckland Super City!). Mergers alone don't cut bureaucrat numbers or shrink spending. But, given Minister Bishop's public comments about striving for efficiencies as part of this process, this move gets a cautious thumbs-up from your humble Taxpayers' Union. 👍

Our final Taxpayer Hero award of 2025 🏕️🎉

Given the year spent calling out waste, bloat, and bureaucratic nonsense, it’s only fair that we finish by recognising a case where taxpayer money was used well.

The research team has come across some fascinating financial analysis of the Department of Conservation’s “Always Be Naturing” campaign. Costing $2.07 million, the analysis we've been digging into shows that we can expect some $16.4 million in revenue, savings, and value-in-kind support over the next three years.

Funded through the International Visitor Levy, the campaign focuses on increasing conservation volunteering by leveraging private-sector partnerships, donations, and in-kind support — rather than simply reaching back into taxpayers’ pockets.

That’s exactly the kind of approach we want to see more of. Instead of glossy ads with vague outcomes, this campaign has been tied to measurable returns and real-world support, rather than using taxpayer money as a crutch.

So in the spirit of Christmas, we thought we'd highlight some good news to show that smarter spending beats bigger budgets with DOC earning our final Taxpayer Hero award of 2025. 🏅

You can read the full response to our Official Information Act request here.

The Cap Rates NOW fight continues in Auckland 🧢🏠

Wayne Brown was re-elected promising to cut waste and keep rates low. Just two months later, Aucklanders are facing the largest ever rates increase in the Super City’s history.

Ignore the Council spin about “average properties”. The reality is simple: Auckland Council plans to take an extra $294 million from ratepayers next year.

While much of the increase is being blamed on the City Rail Link, Council officers have quietly admitted that a significant portion has nothing to do with CRL — and still refuse to say how much. Auckland Council isn't exactly known for being forthcoming, but even for them this is a shocking lack of transparency.

And while we’re on the subject – maybe this is why Minister for Local Government, Simon Watts, needs to hear the final word of our Cap Rates campaign slogan: NOW. Auckland might be first out of the gate, but we can guarantee other councils will be planning to use the same trick: hike rates now while they still can.

Which brings us to some other news...

We’re pleased to welcome back Josh Van Veen as the our Local Government Campaigns Manager.

Josh previously worked for the Taxpayers' Union before spending nearly three years inside the Mayor of Auckland’s office, including a stint as Wayne Brown's Deputy Chief of Staff. That's given him a rare insider’s view of how Auckland Council decisions are really made – and a renewed vigour to fight on the side of ratepayers.

Josh hasn’t eased back in. Within days, he was publicly challenging Wayne Brown over the scale of the rates grab and the lack of clarity around what ratepayers are actually paying for. You can listen to his RNZ interview here.

With record high rates bills being planned all across the country, Josh is certainly going to be busy!

Taxpayer Talk: David Cohen on his new book: Jacinda: The Untold Story 🎙️

Last week I sat down with my friend David Cohen for a no-holds-barred chat about his new book, Jacinda: The Untold Stories.

Billed as a refreshingly un-mushy take on Jacinda Ardern’s premiership, David drew on hundreds of interviews to cut through the PR gloss and media fawning. His verdict? Ardern was a talented brand manager, powered by what he calls a “missionary zeal” — but that communications-first style came at a cost, with big policies like KiwiBuild never properly stress-tested.

As someone who got to know Ardern prior to her becoming Prime Minister, I think David has accurately captured what drove Ardern, her talents, and her flaws. A great gift for the person in your life who loves (or loathes) New Zealand's 40th Prime Minister.

You can listen to the podcast here, or wherever you get good podcasts.

Merry Christmas from all of us at the Taxpayers’ Union 🎄

2025 has been huuuuge for the Taxpayers’ Union – from our campaign victories in the Budget (accelerated depreciation, anyone?) to convincing the Government to adopt Rates Capping – everything accomplished was only possible thanks to the generous support of the tens of thousands who have chipped in with a donation.

The key priority next year is stopping a costly Labour/Te Pāti Māori/Green coalition of tax and spend chaos. Will you consider chipping-in to our 2026 fighting fund with an end of year donation?

So from the whole team, wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.  🍾

Thank you for standing with us.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

PS. The Taxpayers’ Union has had some amazing successes this year - from overturning the Ute Tax 2.0 to securing rates caps for all, we’re making sure that your money stays where it belongs - in your pockets. 2026 is going to be a huge year as we fight off the threat of Labour/Te Pāti Māori/Greens coalition, and their radical plans to spend hard and tax even harder. We can't do it alone.

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that despite being New Zealand's largest company, Fonterra has accepted nearly $3 million in MBIE distributed corporate welfare payments relating to fellowships, careers and training grants for their workforce. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 

"You work hard, you pay your taxes, and the Government is off giving corporate welfare grants to New Zealand's biggest company – corporate welfare for the big end of town." 

"In a cost-of-living crisis and with the Government literally borrowing to covering its bills, it is disgraceful both that MBIE are offering, and Fonterra is accepting, taxpayer money." 

"This a basically a subsidy scheme for Fonterra executives to do professional development, and for Fonterra to train workers. Just like for less well-connected businesses, those costs should fall on Fonterra, not taxpayers." 

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Creative New Zealand spent $255,819.91 on overseas trips for 50 staff and Arts Council members between January 2024 and October 2025. 

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said: 

“The worst examples from this list, like 12 staff flying to Hawaii for an arts festival, are little more than taxpayer-funded holidays for New Zealand's most unnecessary bureaucrats.”  

“The role of Creative NZ is supposed to be helping and funding arts in New Zealand – it's in the name. Do 50 staffers really need to be sent around the world for junkets? That's one international trip a week.” 

“The government is literally borrowing to pay the bills. Wasteful spending like this is why shows it is long past time to let taxpayers decide for themselves which art they want to support.” 

Author David Cohen joins Jordan Williams for a no-holds-barred chat about his new book, Jacinda: The Untold Story. Billed as a refreshingly un-mushy take on Jacinda Ardern’s premiership, David drew on hundreds of interviews to cut through the PR gloss and media fawning. His verdict? Ardern was a talented brand manager, powered by what he calls a “missionary zeal” — but that communications-first style came at a cost, with big policies like KiwiBuild never properly stress-tested.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that the Department of Conservation’s “Always Be Naturing” campaign, which will cost $2.07 million, is projected to bring in revenue and savings of $16.4 million through private-sector partnerships, donations, and value-in-kind support over the campaigns three year timeframe.

Always Be Naturing is funded through the International Visitor Levy and aims to increase volunteering under limited public funding.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Too often government agencies just spend on glossy ads with no measurable return. In this case, DOC has unlocked millions in private-sector support, resources and expertise that would otherwise never have materialised.”

“The lesson for other ministries is clear that private sector partnerships work. Instead of asking for bigger budgets, agencies should be focused on how to attract private investment and deliver real value.”

“This should be the model going forward. Smarter partnerships, less reliance on the taxpayer, and a clear focus on outcomes rather than just spending money.”

The Official Information Act response can be found here.

GDP for the third quarter of 2025 rose 1.1 percent. Responding to today’s announcement, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Some ‘green shoots’ in the economy are a promising sign, but they don’t hide the fact that GDP shrunk over the last twelve months. More than that, GDP per capita is still 2.6 percent smaller than at the time of the last election.”

“There’s no hope of balancing the books without growth, but growth alone won’t cut it. Two thirds of the deficit is structural, which means even if the economy is booming we won’t get back into the black unless the Government starts finding some savings.”

“Tuesday’s HYEFU opening of the books shows that the path we’re on isn’t sustainable. A positive GDP figure doesn’t change that.”

The Minister of Finance has been sitting on some of the worst public finance numbers New Zealand has seen in decades and after the dreadful state of the books revealed today, it is now obvious why Nicola Willis has spent the weekend trying to turn a serious discussion into a sideshow.
 
“Despite her repeated public claims of being willing to debate “any time, any place”, Minister Willis has said no on three fronts: the timing, the location, and the host,” said Hon. Ruth Richardson, Chair of the Taxpayers’ Union.
 
“Rather than a genuine, good-faith round table discussion in a Wellington studio, the Minister instead pushed for a circus at Parliament chaired by Winston Peters. In the face of the level of fiscal failure revealed today, it is clear why she wanted such a distraction.”
 
“The outlook delivered today is the worst in 30 years. It gets lost in the billions, but no one was expecting the books to be anywhere near this bad.”
 
“The debate was supposed to be about whether there is a credible pathway back to surplus; today’s numbers show there clearly isn’t one. Over the last two years, Minister Willis has pushed back surplus another three years. If there is a so-called ‘path to surplus’, Willis is walking the wrong way.”
 
“I will not be party to a circus or a sideshow designed to distract from fiscal failure.”

Government debt continues to grow as a share of the economy every year until 2029, confirmed by today’s Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update.

By 2029, net core crown debt will be $8.245 billion worse than forecast in May’s Budget.

Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Each household’s share of the Government debt $3,785 worse by 2029 than forecast less than six months ago, and the books falling apart in real time. The Minister should read her copy of the Taxpayers’ Union’s ‘A Pathway to Surplus’."

“It keeps getting worse from there. By 2030, debt per household will be more than four time higher than it was in 2017. Treasury are sounding the warning alarms, and someone in the Beehive needs to start listening.”

“Within five years, each household will be stuck with a $5,950 yearly bill just to cover the interest on this growing debt pile. That’s more than the combined budgets for primary schools, secondary schools, the police, and Ministry of Justice combined.”

The Half-Year Economic and Fiscal Update has confirmed taxpayers’ worst fears, as plans for a surplus have slipped back another year to 2030.

• In December 2023, a surplus was forecast for 2027.
• Budget 2024 pushed plans for a surplus out to 2028.
• HYEFU 2024 delayed surplus a further year to 2029, despite introducing the OBEGALx measure which delivers a more favourable reading of the books.

Commenting on this, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“When Nicola Willis took up the reins as Finance Minister in December 2023, a surplus was only three and a half years away in 2027. Now it’ll take six and a half years instead, with the surplus slipping further back to 2030.”

“The Finance Minister says we’re on the right track to reach surplus, but we seem to be walking backwards. Every time Treasury opens the books, balancing them seems like more of a pipe-dream.”

“The Budget in May predicted a $214 million surplus by 2029. Within six months, that’s deteriorated by more than $515 per household, projecting a $945 million deficit for the year even using the Minister’s custom OBEGALx measure.”

“There’s only so far we can keep kicking the can down the road. The Robertson-Willis spend-and-borrow approach isn’t working, and Budget 2026 needs to deliver a realistic pathway back to surplus.”

The Taxpayers’ Union has been informed by the Minister of Finance’s Office that her preference for the debate is for an event in the Legislative Council Chamber moderated by the Rt Hon Winston Peters.

We thought that our idea of a roundtable for an hour chaired by economist Cameron Bagrie was a good idea, but it seems the Minister wants more of a showtime circus.

Certainly, the debate on whether New Zealand is on a realistic path to surplus, is needed, but the Minister’s proposal is farcical.

Bagrie was the Chief Economist at ANZ for more than 11 years, and has previously advised the National Party on public finance matters. Meanwhile, Winston Peters is bound by Cabinet Collective Responsibility – for both his support of Ruth Richardson’s and Nicola Willis’s respective budgets. How that would be navigated is anyone’s guess.

Last week the Minister turned down the offers by NZME/Newstalk ZB to host the debate in studio in Auckland.  The Taxpayers’ Union then suggested any of the radio or television studios in Wellington willing to make the audio/video feed freely available to all other media who may wish to report on it. Again, that’s been turned down.

The Minister talked big with a challenge – but her refusals and now this proposal to have her colleague chair the debate speaks for itself.

The Taxpayers’ Union says New Zealand needs an honest discussion about alternatives to the Willis–Robertson approach to fiscal policy, before the country sleepwalks into the kind of crisis that produced the economic pain of the 1990s.

Taxpayers’ Union Chair Hon. Ruth Richardson says the danger is not acting too early, but acting too late.

“I know what a genuine fiscal reckoning looks like, I lived it,” says Richardson. “The Mother of All Budgets was not ideological zeal. It was the consequence of years of delay and denial – the very essence of what we’re seeing today with the Robertson/Willis approach.”

Richardson says Finance Minister Nicola Willis is attempting to frame her approach as a sensible departure from Labour’s record, but in practice it represents a continuation of Grant Robertson’s model: borrowing today, deferring discipline, and pushing surplus projections further into the future.

“That is not a middle ground,” says Richardson. “It is the same approach, rebranded.”

“A middle ground would be what Sir Bill English delivered with zero-budgets, but Willis has rejected it.”

The Taxpayers’ Union says the real test will come on Tuesday, when the Government is required under Richardson’s Fiscal Responsibility Act to fully open the books.

“If the surplus has been delayed, again, it will demonstrate exactly the problem,” says Richardson. “The Robertson–Willis approach of fudging and kicking the can down the road increases the likelihood New Zealand will require shock therapy within the next five to ten years.”

Richardson says that outcome would be disastrous — and entirely avoidable.

“No one wants another crisis-driven adjustment,” she says. “But those become inevitable when governments refuse to confront fiscal reality while choices are still manageable.”

The Union says continued deficits and rising debt are not abstract accounting issues, but warning signs that should not be ignored.

“Borrowing can mask structural problems for a time, but it does not fix them,” says Richardson. “Delay narrows options and magnifies pain.”

The Taxpayers’ Union says its position is clear: Willis must change course now to avoid repeating history.

“Discipline by design is always preferable to austerity by crisis,” says Richardson.

“If we fail to act,” she says, “another reckoning will not just be possible — it will be inevitable.”

Nicola Willis has reneged on her ‘any time, any place’ debate challenge to Ruth Richardson. However, given that these issues are important to all New Zealanders, the Taxpayers’ Union Chair is willing to debate Minister Willis so long as it is a substantive discussion, rather than performative theatre.
 
The Taxpayers’ Union is proposing that the format be a round table discussion next Thursday morning, in a studio in Wellington moderated by an appropriate economically knowledgeable journalist or commentator. The discussion would live-streamed with a clean broadcast feed made available to all media. Taking place on Thursday morning, we will have the benefit of knowing the most up to date state of the Government’s books after HYEFU on Tuesday.
 
To reflect the tone and substance of the discussion we nominate Cameron Bagrie as host – ANZ’s former Chief Economist, and former advisor to the National Party on matters of public finance – as neutral, but expert, moderator. That way, it’s a serious debate on how best to get New Zealand’s books into shape, rather than personal attacks or a distraction from the real issues.

Responding to the news that all councils’ Local Water Done Well service delivery plans have now been assessed by the Department of Internal Affairs, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Councils undervaluing the cost of water investment by roughly $4,500 per household over the next decade shows they never had a proper grasp of the assets they owned or what it would take to fix them. If you’re trying to explain why water services are in such poor shape, look no further.”

“This is classic public sector behaviour, and the problem isn’t limited to local government. The Prime Minister claimed last month that half of all government agencies don’t have asset management plans at all, which hardly sets a robust example for councils to follow.”

“With most councils now setting up new water entities, this has to be a chance for a full reset. You can’t manage what you don’t properly measure, and ratepayers cannot afford decades more of the same poor governance.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is warning that Wellington region mayors are pushing ahead with council amalgamation without a clear mandate from residents or any transparency over what the changes would cost ratepayers.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Wellington’s mayors seem eager to merge councils, but are pushing ahead of the people who will ultimately foot the bill. Just because ratepayers in Lower Hutt and Porirua voted to explore the issue doesn’t mean the entire region wants a super council.”

“We’ve seen this all before. Previous attempts to create a Wellington super city were rejected because residents didn’t want decisions centralised and local voices weakened.”

“The same tired mentality is being wheeled out again, ‘we must do this before it is done to us.’ Yet in Auckland’s Super City, the only things achieved were more bureaucracy, higher costs and less local decision-making, without any review.”

“Shared services are the better path. Councils need to look at the books and realise the best way forward is to focus on getting back to basics and working together, not amalgamating power.” 

Just like the surplus, Nicola Willis wants to postpone the "Mother of All Debates". Newstalk ZB report this morning that the Minister of Finances's office is walking back on the Minister's "any time, any place" challenge to the Taxpayers' Union chair, Ruth Richardson.

"The Finance Minister challenged the Taxpayers’ Union Chair to a debate 'any time, any place'. Ruth’s made her pick - it’s now for Willis to stick to her commitments,” said Taxpayers' Union spokesman, Jordan Williams.

"Next week is the HYEFU opening of the books, and that is the very time to have the debate on how best to fix the country's finances."

"The Minister's office is clearly scrambling - they're in talks with media organisations to 'negotiate' a debate without having even approached Ruth or the Taxpayers' Union. They're trying to walk back the Minister's big brave challenge."

"Ruth says 'bring it on'. Newstalk ZB are offering to host a live-streamed videoed debate in their Auckland studio next week. Don't fudge this too, Minister.”

The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched a confectionary company – Nicola’s Fudge – to call out what it says is the Government’s growing habit of sugar-coating fiscal truths, front loading spending while pushing savings back into the future and ultimately failing to honour pre-election promises on fiscal responsibility.  

Instead of cutting spending, rolling back Labour’s bloated bureaucracy, and restoring surplus discipline, the Union says the Government has delivered spin over substance – it’s resorted to fudge. 

Taxpayers’ Union Chair, Hon. Ruth Richardson, says: 

“Speaking to National Party members in Upper Hutt last month, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon condemned the previous Government’s ‘sugar-rush economics’ – policies he said gave an illusion of growth but left a long-term crash. Yet this Government has reached for the same lolly jar.”`  

“Rather than cutting back on sugar, Nicola Willis has poured more into the mix. Government spending has actually increased – both in real terms and as a proportion of the economy – since Grant Robertson left office. That’s a fiscal recipe for trouble, no matter how thickly the fudge is poured.” 

“Similarly, much mooted ‘savings’ by Nicola Willis have simply shifted spending, not reduced it. It’s also a fudge.” 

“And it’s showing in the debt numbers too – which Treasury have been sounding the alarm on. Nicola Willis can’t fudge that under her watch, borrowing continues unabated as she tried to paper over her inability to control excessive spending. We’re going backwards, with Willis borrowing $75 million each and every day, and the National Debt Clock now showing Government debt amounting to more than $142,000 for every Kiwi household.” 

“Even the promise to tackle Labour’s 33 percent increase in bureaucrats has been fudged. The ‘cuts’ have been a meagre one percent from when Labour left office.” 

“The role of the Taxpayers’ Union is to point out the fiscal facts – even when they cut across political convenience or the Government’s narrative. Ministerial claims the fiscal position has improved should be dismissed. Merely projecting future savings, when overall spending and borrowing has continued to increase, is not getting books back into shape. It’s not just a fudge, it’s a fail.” 

“This campaign is about calling out the fiscal elephants in the room. As the Prime Minister has himself warned, New Zealand cannot afford the ‘sugar-rush economics of more people and more debt to patch over every crack’. A country addicted to fudge eventually gets sick.” 

“The irony of Nicola’s Fudge is that the Government is getting all the political cost of perceived austerity, while none of the economic upsides of actually following through on a proper exercise of fiscal discipline.” 

“We know that some of our friends in Parliament will be upset about Nicola’s Fudge. But sweet talk doesn’t fix structural deficits.” 

EDITORS NOTES: 

Nicola’s Fudge launches with six delicious flavours: 

OBEGALx ORIGINAL 

Nicola Willis is pushing the narrative that a surplus by 2029 is achievable. But the reality is the ‘surplus by 2029’ is a fiction, built on heroic assumptions and hidden ACC liabilities using what she calls OBEGALx. 

BUREAUCRAT BRITTLE 

Nicola Willis promised to cut back-office staff. But the reality is we still have 33 percent more bureaucrats than when Labour first took office. She has only trimmed total back-office bureaucrats by a dismal one percent. This flavour is packed with extra layers of management. 

DEBT DELIGHT 

Despite promises, borrowing is still near Grant Robertson–era levels. But the reality is this particular delight is made with $75 million borrowed every day. 

BIGGER THAN GRANT 

While the media calls it austerity and unions are calling the cuts brutal, the reality is claims of spending “cuts” are exaggerated. Spending has actually grown, not shrunk, since Grant Robertson. 

GDP CRUMBLE 

The Government says we are "back on track". But the reality is the economy, measured as real GDP per capita, has shrunk by a massive $3,110 since 2023. This is truly the taste of being poorer, as GDP per capita keeps tumbling downwards. 

BOND MARKET BONANZA 

The Government wants you to believe they are fiscally responsible. But the reality is Nicola is borrowing so much that bond markets now rank our risk just behind the UK – a major, massive warning sign. Even the markets can’t swallow this! 

Nicola’s Fudge is available just in time for Christmas at www.NicolasFudge.nz and will be for sale outside political conventions and events throughout the New Year. 

Hurry, while stocks last! 

ENDS 

For many of our supporters, the RMA is important. It is New Zealand's biggest regulatory tax and the most significant handbrake on our country's economic prosperity and living standards.

I’m just back from a Beehive “lock-up” where about 100 journalists and analysts have been working through the Government’s just-released replacement to the RMA.

Planning law is inherently difficult, detailed, and technical. Having only had the material for a few hours, we don’t pretend to have our head around all the detail – but I wanted to get to you the source material rather than wait.

As we worked through the eight press releases, 11 “Fact Sheets”, and the 40-page “Overview” document, we liked what we saw. 

The actual bills – a Planning Bill and Environment Bill – amount to nearly 800 pages.

If you’re looking for a broad overview of the reforms, I recommend this ‘Overview’ to get up to speed.

Summary:

If Chris Bishop delivers what he has said he wants to, he will cement himself as the boldest reforming Minister of the current Government.

These proposals will, more than any other reform since the introduction of MMP, ‘fix’ both New Zealand’s lack of housing affordability and infrastructure deficit. Both have been seeded by the RMA handbrake.

Based on the summaries provided by officials, Minister Bishop and his second-in-command on this project, ACT’s Simon Court, are on track. But there is a long way to go to amend the Bills at the Select Committee in the first half of next year to get to where they set out to get to: a regime based on property rights sitting at the centre.

Key features of the new system include:

• Fewer effects managed
  • Many currently considered effects will be removed from scope, including internal site matters, retail distribution effects, visual amenity, competition impacts and the financial viability of a project.
• Fewer consents
  • Fewer activity categories, with low-impact activities no longer requiring consent.
• More proportionate conditions
  • All consent conditions must be necessary and proportionate, reducing red tape.
• Fewer plans
  • More than 100 existing plans will be reduced to 17 regional combined plans that bring together spatial, land use and natural environment planning in one place, making it easier for New Zealanders to know what they can do with their property.
• Spatial planning
  • 30-year regional spatial plans to identify growth areas, infrastructure corridors and areas requiring protection.
• Faster plan-making
  • Plan development time will fall from an average of 6 to 7 years to around 2 years for a regional combined plan.
• Standardised zones
  • A major reduction from 1,175 bespoke zones to a nationally consistent set decided by central government.
• National standards
  • A comprehensive suite of national standards for common activities to reduce costs and speed up consenting.
• Regulatory relief
  • When imposing significant restrictions, such as heritage protections and significant natural areas, councils must provide practical relief mechanisms.
• Clearer consultation requirements
  • Clarity about who must be consulted and when, including iwi.
• Faster conflict resolution
  • A new Planning Tribunal to resolve straightforward disputes quickly and at low cost.
• Clear environmental limits
  • Clear limits to support community decision making, improve efficient resource use and reduce unnecessary application costs.
• Better, more consistent enforcement
  • Centralised oversight to ensure consistent and effective enforcement across the country.

In his speech, Minister Bishop talked a lot about the new funnel approach making the system more directive from the top, ensuring consistency across the country, and allowing local communities to focus on applying that approach in their area.

The documents state: "It would make decision-making more focused at each stage of the planning system. As the process narrows, fewer things would be up for debate, saving time and money. It would also give people greater certainty about what they can and can’t do, helping them understand likely outcomes before they begin."

Our Initial Observations:

Property rights are the cornerstone of a liberal democracy, and a return to a property rights based system is contained in the Government’s coalition agreements. But while officials have clearly been instructed to develop various systems that adhere more closely to the principle (such as limiting the scope of what planning rules, and councils can actually regulate), the “property rights” concept is conspicuously absent in the Bills. An obvious area to dig into.

For some regulatory takings – such as natural heritage and significant natural area overlays (that impact on the value and potential use for a landowner) – it is proposed that councils will be required to compensate with what the Bills call “Regulatory Relief”. It is an excellent principle, but the scope of the regime is not nearly wide enough. But it will mean that councils will need to start considering the costs when they get out the highlighter and change what you can do on your land because of their preferences. Councils are going to hate this!

The interface with the Treaty is also extremely technical (and vulnerable to capture by vested interests). The difficulty faced by Ministers is that some Treaty settlements give special rights to iwi based on the current regime. Much of the detail on how those are resolved are yet to be worked through, but the direction of travel should be welcomed: Ministers want the early identification of rights and obligations, rather than unclear ‘principle based’ legal requirements that are vulnerable to abuse and rent seeking. 

As the Bills stand, councils will not be required to broadly ‘give effect’ to the Treaty but will have firmer, more defined obligations to consult and identify areas of special interests to local iwi. 

While some special interests will complain, clarity will clearly be applauded by others (both Maori and non-Maori).

Conclusion:

The test is whether the details buried in the Bills reflect the political rhetoric about getting 'clipboard man' (or woman) out of the way and 'go for growth'. That’s what we’ll be working through with our expert advisors in the weeks to come.

But one thing is for sure: for the homeowner in the Hutt who battled the Council for eight months because a faceless planner didn’t like that his proposal to replace an existing garage didn’t match the design and colour of his house (yes, seriously!), these reforms are a major step in the right direction. Ditto taxpayers paying $1.3 billion per year ($634 per household) just for consenting infrastructure – this is a major step forward.

The RMA is one of the big kahuna items the Taxpayers’ Union has long fought on. We’ll have our heads down over summer, and keep you in the loop before submissions close early in the New Year.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act request that the Reserve Bank spent $851,997.35 last financial year flying staff between its Wellington and Auckland offices and has since pored $56 million into an Auckland workspace that remains half-occupied.

The Bank also confirmed that around 45 staff travelled between the two offices ten or more times each in that year.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Taxpayers are already forking out $56 million for a half-empty Auckland office. Now we’ve found they’re spending nearly $852,000 a year shuttling staff up and down the country to fill it.”

“This is one of the worst examples of waste layered on top of waste. Why on earth are we paying for both the building and a national air-bridge to support it? Has the Reserve Bank never heard of Zoom?”

“Most government agencies have tightened their travel spending, but the Reserve Bank seems to have gone the other way. Running what looks more like a frequent-flyer programme than a central bank.”

“The Bank is now under new leadership. Governor Breman needs to cut the spending her predecessor was all too comfortable signing off.” 

The Taxpayers' Union is delighted Nicola Willis is going to front up for a debate on the country's fiscal pathway. All National Party Finance Ministers since Muldoon have had to tackle structural deficits inherited from Labour. Nicola Willis’ challenge is no different to what Ruth, then Sir Bill English, faced.
 
Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:
 
"Ruth is more than happy to debate the Government's debt, levels of public spending, balancing the books, and growth."
 
"The Government promised to reduce public spending. It's now higher than when Grant Robertson left office."
 
"The Government promised to tackle Labour's 30 percent increase in bureaucrats. They've managed to reduce the size of the core public service by not even one percent."
 
"The Government promised to get the books back into surplus. Unless you count a newly invented OBEGALx measure, the Government's fiscal pathway never gets New Zealand back into surplus."
 
"The Government promised 'growth, growth, growth'. GDP per capita is lower than when Grant Robertson was in office."
 
"The Government promised to reduce borrowing. Borrowing is still near Grant Robertson-era levels."
 
"Ruth is ready to debate the sorry state of our fiscal position after the release of the HYEFU next week."
 
The Taxpayers' Union are already speaking to various media organisations about the logistics of hosting next week. Media outlets interested in carrying or covering the debate are encouraged to get in touch.

Commenting on the Government’s announcement today that the Resource Management Act is set to be replaced by the Planning Bill and Natural Environment Bill in 2026, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“The Resource Management Act has been the worst handbrake on New Zealand’s productivity bar none. Scrapping this regulatory tax is the most meaningful tax relief offered by this government or any government in decades, with potential to save more than $60,000 per household in admin and compliance costs alone over the next thirty years.”

“Consents drag on for years, and costs have increased by 70 percent since 2014. Now in nearly half of cases, people won’t have to interact with clipboard-wielding busybodies at all. Kiwis will just be able to get on with the job.”

“The Government hasn’t always delivered on its plans to ‘Go for Growth’, but no one can fault Minister Chris Bishop or Simon Court for putting their money where their mouths are to get New Zealand moving again.”

“If these Bills pass, New Zealand’s housing, infrastructure, and productivity crises will have just got a lot more manageable. That’s a big if, and there’s a long way to go before this passes Parliament and sticks around for the long haul.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is calling for the principals of schools identified by the Auditor-General as having used public money inappropriately to repay taxpayers in full.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“From a kura sending their principal to Turkey using $6,000 of 'well-being support funding' to multiple trips to Rarotonga, Queenstown and Canada. Why would these school leaders think this funding was appropriate, especially with how many also brought their spouses, partners and families with them?"

"This can only be seen as total disrespect to taxpayers and the students this funding was meant to go to. The Auditor-General’s findings make it clear that too many schools are treating financial rules as optional.”

“Every cent that was misused should be returned, and the Secretary of Education must ensure this doesn’t become a recurring cycle of bad audits followed by zero consequences.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is again slamming the long-delayed National Ticketing System (NTS) after Greater Wellington Regional Council announced it will introduce its own contactless payment system rather than continue waiting for the stalled national rollout.

Taxpayers' Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“For once, Wellington’s got it right, and their obvious solution to use contactless payments is only costing $5.5 million. That’s 256 times less than the Government’s $1.4 billion disaster scheme is set to cost."

“It’s obvious why the capital region has chosen to go their own way. What’s not so clear is why the Government hasn’t thrown in the towel on the National Ticketing System yet as well.”

"The New Zealand Transport Agency has failed to deliver on this promise for 16 years. Will it be another 16 before the project is finally scaled back or scrapped altogether?”

Dear Supporter,

The silly season is well underway. It's the time for Christmas shopping, summer planning, last minute errands, and when Governments tend to 'take out the trash' – hoping bad news stories are buried in the Christmas rush. So while Christmas is right around the corner Santa's naughty list is growing.

This week, we learned of some sneaky (unannounced) tax changes from Wellington, that rates capping has been delayed until 2029, the bureaucrat golden goodbye bonanza continues, and a record high rates hike in the pipeline for Aucklanders.

Oh, and you might have noticed a bit of media attention the last few days on a new campaign we've not even launched yet! Some comments about that below...

So grab a cuppa. This end of week wrap up is stacked.

Rates Cap Now ✅ or Rates Cap Later ❌

On Monday we learned the good news is that the capping of crippling council rates is coming. The bad news is that the Government has pushed back implementation until 2029.

That means that councils now have three full years to make massive rate hikes before the cap kicks in. And does anyone have faith that they won't?

Most councils are currently working on their Long Term Plans – which are required to be done every three years to set out rates and spending parameters for the following 10 years (yes, I know how that reads).

That means the window of opportunity to force councils to live within their means (and what ratepayers can afford) is narrow. The Government’s delay is an invitation for local councils to hike everything now, bake it into the baseline, and shrug later.

Obviously, we had a lot to say on this issue, with Tory on Three News making the case for ratepayers and why we need to Cap Rates *Now*.

James was also busy. His excellent op-ed for The Post also points out that councils will rush to push rates up while they still can, because once the cap arrives, they’re locked in. I just love the last line of this:

Continue reading over on The Post's website.

Yours truly had a longer discussion with current Otago Regional Councillor (and host on The Platform) Michael Laws. 

I also spoke with Duncan Garner for his Editor in Chief podcast.

TVNZ bias: even AI is noticing 📺

Strangely, we didn't hear a whisper from TVNZ's One News, despite your humble Taxpayers' Union both proposing the rates capping policy, and driving the campaign to get the Government to adopt it!

Just like One News strived to ignore ratepayers during the whole two years of coverage of the last Government's Three Waters effort, they'd rather stick to "insiders" like Local Government NZ and others who are using ratepayer money to oppose our Cap Rates Now campaign.

And we are not alone.

New AI analysis of the framing of political stories by One News suggests that something is going seriously awry at the taxpayer-owned broadcaster...

NEW Rates Cap Dashboard: How much have you already been fleeced? 💳🐑

As you know, we track council rates across the country closely. Earlier in the year we exposed that cumulatively, over the last three years, the average rates hike by councils was an incredible 35 percent. 

So on Friday we launched the Rates Cap Dashboard – a new tool revealing what the average household in every council district would have saved if the Government's rates cap had been in place over the past three years.

James and his team found:

• Across the country, the average household would be between $670 and $864 better off right now had the proposed 2-4 percent cap been in place over the last three years.
• The average household in 21 council areas would have saved more than $1,000 each
• Queenstown-Lakes District ratepayers would have saved the most: an incredible $1,706 lost per household.
• Even in councils with the smallest numbers, a rates cap would still have left hundreds of dollars in the pockets of every local ratepayer.

👉 See what your council cost your household in lost savings here

The campaign isn't over: we've got Cabinet over the line on the Cap Rates bit, now we just need them to do it NOW.

To back the Cap Rates Now campaign and chip-in to the fighting fund, click here.

Mayor Brown’s Rates Cap Backflip 💥🛑

Wayne Brown campaigned as the guy who’d rein in Auckland Council waste. But fast forward to today, and Auckland Council’s operating spending continues to balloon right under Mr Brown's nose. 

Despite the rhetoric, Wayne Brown has hiked Council spending by more than 20.5% in just three years. Cumulative inflation over the same timeframe has been seven percent.

During the election campaign just been, Brown committed to keep rates no more than 1.5 percent above inflation – which is bang on the midpoint for where the Government has set its cap! But now, just three months later, Wayne Brown has changed his tune. 

Now the Mayor says a rates cap “won’t work” –  announcing a 7.9 percent rates hike within an hour of the Government announcing its policy.

If Wayne Brown gets his way, next year's rates hike will be the highest ever for the Super City!

Brown is blaming the City Rail Link which he claimed will add $1 million a day to ratepayers’ costs. But our friends at the Auckland Ratepayers' Alliance checked the numbers: the actual cost is $26 million a year, or roughly equivalent to 1 percent on rates.

Not nothing, but nowhere near the eight percent figure Wayne Brown is pushing.

Brown isn’t levelling with Aucklanders — and that’s exactly why we need a legally enforceable cap.

With my Ratepayers' Alliance hat on I joined Newstalk ZB to call out Mayor Brown's 'absolute nonsense' 👇

IRD's sneaky pre-Christmas surprise 🎄⚠️

While no one was paying attention, the IRD quietly dropped one of the most destructive tax changes we’ve seen in decades.

Here’s the gist:

• Many small businesses pay owners through a running loan account during the year.
• At year-end, they clear it with dividends or salary — standard practice.
• Under the new rule, if the loan isn’t cleared within 12 months, IRD will now treat the whole loan as taxable income…
• …and the owner still has to repay the loan later using more taxable income.

Yes, taxed twice. Yes, retrospective, covering the current tax year (in fact, IRD say the law will be backdated to come into effect as of Thursday). And no, there was no press conference, no speech, no debate. Just a quiet upload to the IRD website.

Our tax experts say that these changes will have a far greater impact on New Zealand's SMEs and farmers than Labour's proposed Capital Gains Tax. No wonder the Government is mum!

And nothing says “Merry Christmas” like a backdated tax bill.

Sneaking a policy of this magnitude through without fanfare over summer is bad form. You can read our full comments here.

Submissions close on 5 February (more info here) – rest assured that the Taxpayers' Union will be back to work well before then! 

Golden Handshakes: More than $837,000 in a single week (and that's just those we know about!) 🤦‍♀️💰

If you thought we’d hit peak golden handshake insanity with Adrian Orr's $416,120 "golden goodbye", think again. This week alone, we already know taxpayers are on the hook for:

• Andrew Coster (disgraced former head of the Social Investment Agency who was allowed to resign and therefore collect a garden leave/three-month's pay windfall) – $130,000
• Diana Sarfati (former head of the Ministry of Health)– $350,000
• Sarah Fitt (former Pharmac boss) – $357,000

Tory spoke to Newstalk ZB on Andrew Coster's golden handshake and the scale of his payout, which you can listen to here.

We’ve also seen another resignation as the Coster fallout continues to reverberate through Wellington.

This time a former Deputy Police Commissioner now at the Civil Aviation Authority, was rewarded with a payout – and one that the CAA chief refused to even declare when asked by MPs during Parliament's scrutiny week.

That’s a) a middle finger to transparency and b) likely to push the total north of $1 million this week alone.

This is why we’re pushing for a hard cap on exit payouts, zero payouts for anyone paid more than an MP, and full transparency in public servants receiving such payouts.

Until then, the golden handshake conveyor belt rolls on.

Labour using taxpayer funded staff to make Party propaganda 📹🚫

At Labour’s conference, their social media adviser — funded by Parliamentary Service — was producing political content on the taxpayer dollar.

The rules are clear: Parliamentary staff support MPs’ official duties, not partisan content creation for the party machine.

I don’t think it’s complicated. If parties want political videos, they should use party funds, not raid the taxpayer wallet.

And yes, this all happened during Scrutiny Week. You couldn’t write it better.

Health NZ spending $3.5 million this year on “non-jobs” 🧘‍♂️🌀

The year might be nearly over, but everyone’s favourite Investigations Coordinator Rhys is still hard at work digging into waste across local and national government.

On Friday, Rhys revealed Health NZ employs 13.7 FTE staff dedicated exclusively to DEI, sustainability, climate, and non-clinical “culture” work.

The total salary bill is a jaw-dropping $3,475,054.

Back of the envelope, that's an average salary of $253,654! 

As is usual, Rhys has linked to all the source material on the website, so you can judge for yourself whether these Health NZ salaries are justified...

As you can see, while Health NZ only give us the salary information in bands, we can work out from the total that most of the roles are paid at the very upper end!

Meanwhile:

• Emergency departments are overflowing
• Waitlists are blowing out
• Surgical backlogs are growing

This is the problem in a nutshell: We’re funding everything except actual healthcare.

One more thing... 

Finally, we’ve had a lot of good publicity for our campaign launching very soon, and now it is our turn to say what it is all about.

The campaign is about Nicola Willis becoming our best ever finance minister. No one wants her to succeed more than than Taxpayers’ Union to cut wasteful spending, balance the books, and keep out a Labour-TPM-Green high tax, high deficit, 'addicted to spending' disaster.

Our pressure campaign is about pointing out the fiscal elephants in the room and her having the incentives from voters to become our best ever finance minister and get New Zealand off the disastrous fiscal track it has been on for so long.

Watch this space...

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Ps. As well as the last Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll of 2025, it's looking likely the Government's replacement to the Resource Management Act is going to be released early next week. This is likely to be the biggest (regulatory) tax relief any government has delivered under MMP. As soon as we have worked through the details, we'll get them to you. A big week ahead!

Rates caps are coming, but not until 2029. That means another three years of councils ramping up your rates. The Taxpayers' Union can exclusively reveal how much you would have saved over the last three years if the Government's rates cap had been in place.

On average, each Kiwi household would have saved $863.65 if annual rates increases were capped at 2 percent and $669.85 with a 4 percent cap.

Can you afford three more years of this? See how much you've already lost out on below.

The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched the Rates Cap Dashboard, revealing the staggering financial relief households across New Zealand are being denied by the Government delaying rates caps. 

The new dashboard uses average residential rates data to calculate how much ratepayers could have saved over the last three years if the rates cap had been in place. Households in 21 councils could have saved more than $1,000 on average, with households in Queenstown-Lakes District Council topping the list, losing an average of $1706.14 each.  

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said: 

"The Rates Cap Dashboard provides clear evidence of the massive savings being lost due to the Government’s inertia." 

"While the Government dilly-dallies with a 2029 start date, ratepayers in 21 councils could have saved more than $1000 with a two percent cap over the last three years. Even ratepayers in Waitomo, with the smallest savings, would have had an additional $445 in their pockets." 

"The average household has lost $864 over the past three years without the two percent cap in place. Even under a four percent cap, households would have saved $670 on average. Imagine how much they’ll lose as councils take their final chances to ramp up rates over the next three years.” 

“Ratepayers can’t afford three more years of double-digit rates hikes. The Government must bring forward their timeline and cap rates now.” 

The two percent rates cap represents the maximum potential lost savings under the Government’s proposals. The top 10 councils for lost ratepayer savings are: 

1. Queenstown-Lakes District Council - $1706.14 

2. Wellington City Council - $1525.91 

3. Hastings District Council - $1331.62 

4. South Wairarapa District Council - $1326.84 

5. Whakatāne District Council - $1258.26 

6. Gore District Council - $1210.99 

7. Hutt City Council - $1187.50 

8. Ōpōtiki District Council - $1163.20 

9. Tauranga City Council - $1139.47 

10. Central Otago District Council - $1118.01 

The Rates Cap Dashboard can be found at www.taxpayers.org.nz/rates_cap_dashboard

The Taxpayers' Union is slamming yesterday’s quiet announcement on the IRD's Policy website that that the Government intends to treat company loans to shareholders as income, resulting in a double taxation and the most dramatic tax grab on SMEs since the Muldoon era.

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, said:

“This is an unprecedented attack on the tax arrangements of the farming and SME sectors.”

“According to the documents, from yesterday the Government will now classify outstanding loans made by their businesses to their owners as taxable income of the owner, if not repaid within twelve months. But the owners are still legally required to repay the loan and must do so from future earnings and dividends which are taxable income. So, the owners are double taxed on the value of the outstanding loan and the interest payments.”

“SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy. The way many SMEs operate is that during the year the company pays owners a regular amount to meet owner living costs. This is usually done by a loan from the company to the owner. At the end of the year, company accounts are drawn up. The loan to the owner is repaid by the company allocating either salary or dividends to the owner to repay the debt accumulated over the year.”

“However, if the company does not make the expected profits to pay enough in salary or dividends to clear the loan the owner has spent on living expenses, the loan remains outstanding at the end of the tax year. Up until now, IRD would have just treated it as an outstanding loan owed to the business. But from today it will be treated as a dividend and taxed as income, if not repaid within twelve months.”

“Suddenly, the tax burden on farmers and SMEs has shot up dramatically. The incentive for business owners never to incorporate or grow has just been magnified immensely.”

"This will absolutely hammer farmers, and other capital intensive businesses that may run a negative current account. Treating a loan as income - and then taxing the dividends to pay it back again - is draconian.  Even Muldoon would blush."

“The advice we've received is that this change will hit SMEs far harder than Labour's proposed CGT. Worse still, the law will be retrospective to cover the current tax year, announced not as part of a budget, but quietly on the IRD website.  What on earth are Ministers thinking to sign this one off – and why haven't they fronted to what amounts to the biggest tax grab by a National-led Government since Muldoon?

The Taxpayers’ Union is seeking a meeting with the Inland Revenue Department for them to explain their system error left thousands of New Zealanders with incorrect tax bills.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“IRD's mistake has resulted in four and a half thousand taxpayers being told they owe tax they don’t or being paid the wrong refund. That is unacceptable from an agency responsible for collecting billions each year.”

“This wasn’t a one-off glitch. It went unnoticed long enough to affect this many people, and IRD still can’t say exactly how many past returns will need to be corrected. Taxpayers not only deserve answers, but we need to ensure that IRD has in place proper checking and systems of accountability.”

“IRD owe every taxpayer a duty of care, and have clearly failed in that duty here. We're seeking from IRD an assurance that no taxpayer will face penalties or interest because of its own mistakes.”

The Taxpayers' Union is calling for greater transparency and a hard cap on exit payouts in the public sector after taxpayers have funded an eye-watering $837,000 bill for golden handshakes this week alone.

The $837,000 bill stems from three high-profile public sector exits this week:

• Andrew Coster - ex-chief executive of the Social Investment Agency - $130,000
• Diana Sarfati - Former Ministry of Health director - $350,000
• Sarah Fitt - Former Chief Executive for Pharmac - $357,000

Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

"It’s a slap in the face for New Zealanders who are struggling with the cost of living. These handshakes are outrageous, especially in cases of voluntary departures like Diana Sarfati and in exits that should have been dismissals like Coster."

“You can’t sustain a culture where poor performance is met with a reward. Until the Government clamps down on these payouts, taxpayers will keep getting burned. The government needs to start showing some fiscal responsibility.”

“The scale of this $837,000 taxpayer bill is obscene. The Taxpayers' Union is calling on Minister Brooke van Velden ensures her reforms include a hard cap and ban all exit payouts for public service employees paid more than an MP.”

The Taxpayers’ Union says the resignation of former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster is long overdue and should never have required weeks of costly garden leave.

Executive Director Jordan Williams said:

“This resignation should never have been necessary; Coster should have been fired as soon as the damning IPCA report was finalised, given the Public Service Commissioner had been provided the draft report."

"It was always questionable why it took until the IPCA report was made public before Coster was suspended."

"Coster cost the taxpayer more than $33,000 on gardening leave, which still amounts to an unjustified gold handshake.”

"Given recent examples of taxpayers' being told that someone has resigned only to find out later that there was a huge exit payment, taxpayers will be looking for an assurance from the Public Sector Commission that this isn't another ruse."

The Taxpayers’ Union is pushing back at Christchurch City Council advisers calling for a Greater Christchurch “super city”, saying amalgamation must only ever come from the community, not from policy staff.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“It’s completely inappropriate for advisers to be pushing for large-scale amalgamation. These sorts of structural changes need to come from the communities affected, not bureaucratic planners who think bigger is automatically better.”

“We already know councils lose efficiency once they get too big. The focus should be on doing the basics well, not creating new super city layers of red tape and repeating the unreviewed Auckland experiment.”

“Instead of chasing grand reforms, Christchurch City Council should be sticking to delivering services ratepayers actually want. Pushing a super city model when Selwyn and Waimakariri haven’t asked for it only shows how out of touch some advisers are.”

“The Government’s wider reforms should focus on cutting duplication, improving performance, and keeping decision-making as close to communities as possible, rather than encouraging councils to absorb their neighbours."

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for a law change to prevent the payout of golden handshakes to public servants paid more than MPs, after yet another health boss has walked away with a $350,000 payout despite leaving voluntarily.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“We’re barely a day on from the Pharmac payout and here we are again. Yet another giant cheque has been handed to someone already paid more than an MP, and this time simply for walking away.”

“Most New Zealanders don’t get paid for quitting and public servants on top-tier salaries certainly shouldn’t. It’s outrageous and it chips away at any remaining trust in the system.”

“Enough is enough. The Government must ban exit payouts for public servants paid more than an MP. If you’re on a premium salary, there’s no reason for taxpayers to fund a golden goodbye.”

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act request that risk aversion is undermining the principle of free and frank advice within the public service.

Internal comments from the Public Service Commission’s Public Service Census 2025 has shown senior leaders are becoming increasingly hesitant to provide honest, unbiased, unvarnished advice to Ministers, which is resulting in decisions based on incomplete or misrepresented facts.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“New Zealand’s public service has, over seven pages, shown it is afraid to give Ministers the tough advice they need. Instead of free and frank communication, we’re seeing risk-averse staff tailoring advice to what they think Ministers want to hear, or what senior staff tell them to.”

“Ministers are being given advice that fits their political views, rather than the facts they need to make informed decisions. This is a recipe for failure, and taxpayers will be the ones who pay the price.”

“The public service must return to providing honest and independent advice. It’s time to stop shaping advice to please Ministers and start presenting the truth, no matter how uncomfortable for the sake of better decision-making.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is celebrating today’s announcement of a future rates cap as a win for ratepayers but says the Government risks neutering the policy by pushing it years down the road.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“More than 30,000 Kiwis backed our call to Cap Rates Now, so today’s commitment is a big step in the right direction. Cumulatively, over the last three years, the average rates hike is an incredible 34.52 percent. Over the same timeframe, inflation has been just 13.7 percent. Rates capping will finally force councils to focus on essentials and give households certainty.”

“But Minister Watts is leaving the door wide open for councils to jack up rates before the cap arrives. Asking councils to 'be responsible' before the cap is legally enforceable will not work.  It invites a final spree of increases as they scramble to lock in a higher baseline.”

“Stretching this out to 2029 means National would need to win not just one, but potentially two elections before the cap actually applies. That gives the Opposition years to campaign against it, and gives lobby groups like LGNZ plenty of time, and ratepayers’ money, to run interference.”

“Our question to the Government is simple: why wait until 2029? Many councils are setting their Long Term Plans prior to June next year, so the cap should come into force within months, not years.”

Labour’s use of a Parliamentary Service–funded social media advisor to produce political content at its party conference raises serious questions about how public money is being used.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Parliamentary staff are funded to support MPs in their official work. Turning up at a party conference to generate political content isn’t part of the job. It’s an inappropriate use of public money.”

“If Labour wants promotional videos and social clips for its conference, it should pay for them from party funds. Taxpayers shouldn’t be covering the cost.”

“And ironically, it’s Scrutiny Week. This is a textbook example of the kind of thing that should be getting a hard look.”