The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s commitment that today’s fuel support package must not drive government debt higher.

“At a time when the books are already under strain, this is a welcome sign of discipline,” Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said. “It shows the Government now understands that every extra dollar of debt is tomorrow’s tax bill.”

"The PM's comments indicate tomorrow's announcement is fiscally neutral. That means that at least equal reductions in spending will be specified to go along with the support package."

“Helping Kiwis with targeted and temporary measures during this crisis is sensible, but only if it’s paid for. Government debt is already at $140,000 for every Kiwi household, as tracked by the National Debt Clock. Shifting the cost onto future taxpayers would just kick the can down the road."

"Any increase in debt is counterproductive. It will drive up inflation and the costs of borrowing."

"As Friday's warning from Fitch shows, New Zealand enters this crisis in a vulnerable state. Despite political rhetoric about 'saving money' the Government's running a larger structural deficit now, than when it assumed office."

"Borrowing more right now would be to adopt a Grant Robertson-style response. Even if on a smaller scale, that would be a grave mistake. We welcome Mr. Luxon's approach."

“Fiscal neutrality means real trade-offs and tough choices. But there is no longer the option to borrow and hope.”

Hi,

This week, your humble Taxpayers' Union exposed more taxpayer funded anti-government environmental lobbyists, the $94,000 vanity project for Rotorua's Mayor, and why we're updating the Debt Clock. 

EXPOSED: Department of Conservation funding eco-lobbyists to... fight the Government? 🌳✊

A few months ago, our Investigations Coordinator, Rhys, emailed supporters to expose the funding received from the Ministry for the Environment to eco-activist organisations like the Environmental Defence Society and Forest & Bird. 

It turns out MfE isn't the only Government agency funding the Environmental Defence Society, they have also received $157,000 from the Department of Conservation — on top of the $377,743 of taxpayer funding it already raked in from the Ministry for the Environment

That’s more than half a million dollars in taxpayer cash for a group whose main output is lobbying and legal action against government policy.

How is it that you pay your taxes, for government bureaucrats to use, to give activist groups to lobby the government? It's not on.

If the Environment Defence Society had genuine public backing, it wouldn’t need taxpayer funding.

This isn’t conservation — it’s backdoor political activism funded by taxpayers. And with 2,533 staff at DOC, why are they also paying activist groups?

And let's be frank, reports churned out by groups like EDS can’t be treated as impartial when they’re funded by the same agencies that they also hold to account. It’s an echo chamber activism love-in, paid for by the taxpayer.

We say it's time to stop taxpayer funding for political lobbyists — left, right, or green.

Rotorua’s $94,000 Mayoral Vanity Project 🛁🍇

From taxpayer funded lobbyists to ratepayer funded adverts of 'influencers' self-promoting politicians. This week, our team uncovered that Rotorua ratepayers just copped a bill for a $94,000 TV ad starring [checks notes] their Mayor Tania Tapsell.

The so-called ‘Robe Trip’ campaign, to encourage tourists to wear their robes while visiting Rotorua's hot pools, cost $42,784 to produce and another $51,201 to air through the Council's tourism arm, RotoruaNZ.

While the Council claims “no general rates” were used, the reality is grim: the cost was via targeted rates (somehow that makes it better 🙄). We can see from the documents that it went through 15 rounds of meetings just to get Mayor Tapsell some airtime.

Infrastructure is crumbling. Crime is rising. But Rotorua’s leadership thinks undressing the Mayor — complete with robes and slow-mo — to put her on the telly should be the focus.

Call us prudes, but here at the Taxpayers' Union, we think politicians should always keep their clothes on...

This campaign might be dressed in a robe, but it’s ratepayer exploitation, plain and simple.

Taxpayer Hero - Minister Brown on State-Owned Enterprises! 🔥

This week, Minister Simeon Brown asked the tough questions about underperforming State-Owned Enterprises like NZ Post and Pāmu (what Landcorp is now calling itself). 

The Minister for State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) told several of the SOEs that the Government was “disappointed and concerned” by their lack of performance. 

That this is even news shows how far we've come in accepting dumb, rudderless, underperformance in Wellington.

If a household owned a bunch of money-draining assets, they’d rightly ask whether it’s time to improve them or sell. Those who insist on the Government holding on to commercial duds that can’t turn a profit should put their money where their mouth is.

Take, for example, NZ Post. During the COVID lockdowns, logistics and courier company profits skyrocketed – while NZ Post needed bailouts!! Something is wrong here...

Over on X (formerly twitter), our Communications Officer Alex shared our excitement on the Minister's comments.  

Each Kiwi household's $275,000 share of government assets costs us money, instead of making a profit. That’s more than $570 billion in state-owned assets failing to pull their weight.

Past asset sales worked: better services, less debt, and stronger performance. It’s time to stop subsidising failure. 

Minister Brown’s words are a good start. Now let’s see some action. Sell the dead weight, keep the performing enterprises, and get taxpayers a return on what they own.

Why We’ve Given the National Debt Clock a Serious Tune-Up ⚙️

Big news: our New Zealand Debt Clock just got a makeover, and no, it’s not Botox, it’s Total Crown Borrowings.

The traditional measure of government debt – known as "Core Crown Debt" – is starting to paint a misleading picture due to more and more debt being allowed to incur in the non-core Crown balance sheet.

Our economic boffins have laid out all the reasoning here.

Cutting through the smoke and mirrors 🔪

The new measure more closely links to what the Government actually pays in interest, and it means every dollar of government debt, no matter which branch racks it up, is now front and centre for all to see.

And what a number it is. Treasury’s Budget 2025 papers project debt rising from $250.9 billion this year to $354.2 billion by 2029. That’s more than $100 billion more or $49,160 per household. You’ll need a pretty generous Afterpay plan to cover that.

This change isn’t just cosmetic – it’s critical. Interest doesn’t care who borrowed the money. Whether it’s a Minister or a Housing Agency doing the borrowing, you’re still footing the bill.

It may sting, but it’s the truth. And frankly, it’s about time someone gave the numbers a little interest.

Tick Tock, Tock Tock… ⏰

Taxpayers' Union @ National Fieldays - come and meet the team! 🐮🚜

Are you heading to National Fieldays at Mystery Creek this year? We'll be in the rural living marquee (RM52), come and say hello and meet the team!

If you can't make it to Fieldays and want to see what we get up to, we'll be keeping our social media updated all week.

Taxpayer Talk: Hon Casey Costello on her first 18 months in Parliament

Former Taxpayers' Union Chair - and current Minister and New Zealand First MP - Casey Costello joins Jordan to discuss her experience as a new MP, her ministerial briefs on health, organised crime and anti-smoking), and why it's important for New Zealanders to look beyond the headlines.

One more thing...

Unlike the most pressure groups – like the so-called Environmental Defence Society 👀 – the Taxpayers' Union doesn't take funding from the Government/taxpayers.

We remain 100 percent independent with our work reliant on supporters like you chipping-in to keep the lights on.

If you agree with our mission of Lower Taxes, Less Waste, More Transparency, please consider joining as a member (from just $25) or making a secure and confidential donation.

Thanks for making the work possible.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has today updated its online Debt Clock to reflect Total Crown Borrowings, replacing the previously used measure of Net Core Crown Debt.

The change comes after concerns that Net Core Crown Debt understates the true burden of government borrowing by excluding the ballooning liabilities of Crown entities and State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs).

Tory Relf, a spokeswoman for the Taxpayers’ Union, says:

“The Debt Clock needs to tell taxpayers the truth. The Net Core Crown Debt figure the Government likes to use conveniently leaves out tens of billions borrowed by Kāinga Ora, KiwiRail, and other Crown agencies. But whether it's borrowed by a Minister or one of their appointees to a Board, the taxpayer is still ultimately responsible.”

“Total Crown Borrowings is the most honest, transparent number. It reflects the full mortgage on the country – and the interest taxpayers are actually paying.”

According to Budget 2025 forecasts, Total Crown Borrowings are set to rise from $250.9 billion this year to $354.2 billion by 2029 – a blowout of more than $100 billion, or $49,160 per household.

“This Government has promised restraint but is still on track to add nearly $50,000 of debt for every household in the country over just five years. That’s not fiscal responsibility – it’s economic vandalism,” says Relf.

The Union says the updated Debt Clock – now updated with the figures released with last week’s Budget – gives taxpayers a more accurate understanding of New Zealand’s worsening fiscal position, and the real cost of government overspending.

“Politicians can play games with accounting tricks. But our Debt Clock won’t.” says Relf. 

“Tick tock.”

The updated clock is now live at www.DebtClock.nz.

A review of the pros and cons of using Net Core Crown Debt (the old measure): Core Crown Borrowings (a cleaner gross measure); and Total Crown Borrowings (the new measure) is available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/debt_clock_update_2025

Since its launch, the New Zealand Debt Clock has highlighted the burden of government debt in real time. We’ve always aimed to present this figure in a way that's meaningful, honest, and easy for taxpayers to understand.

In recent years, we’ve used Net Core Crown Debt – a figure often referenced in government fiscal targets. But we’re making a change. From today, the Debt Clock will display Total Crown Borrowings. We’ve just updated it to reflect the Treasury’s latest Econmic and Fiscal Update published with the Budget last week.

Why the Change?

There’s no single perfect measure of government debt. Like with any financial statement, different figures tell different parts of the story. But our job is to make sure taxpayers know the full picture – and Net Core Crown Debt has too many blind spots.

Let’s break down the options:

1. Net Core Crown Debt (the old measure)

Pros:

• Used in official Government fiscal targets.
• Gives a picture of the Government’s “net” position after liquid financial assets (like investments) are offset.

Cons:

• Opaque and prone to manipulation – depends on how the Government chooses to count "liquid assets".
• Doesn’t reflect the actual amount of money borrowed – or what interest taxpayers are paying.

• Excludes major government debt from Crown entities and SOEs like Kāinga Ora and KiwiRail — even though these debts are taxpayer-backed and directed by Ministers.

• Misleadingly low – paints a rosier picture than reality.

2. Core Crown Borrowings (a cleaner gross measure)

Pros:

• Represents the actual amount the core Government has borrowed.
• Ties directly to interest expenses – gives a more realistic picture of fiscal stress.
• Easier to compare to household debt (i.e., people don’t talk about their “net mortgage” – they talk about what they owe).

Cons:

• Still ignores massive Crown Entity and SOE borrowings (e.g. Kainga Ora, KiwiRail etc).
• Doesn’t reflect the full taxpayer liability across government.

3. Total Crown Borrowings (the new measure)

Pros:

• The most comprehensive measure of government debt – includes Crown entities, SOEs, and the lot.
• Can’t be gamed or disguised behind balance sheet footnotes.
• Reflects what taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for – whether debt is incurred by Ministers or their appointees to SOE boards.
• Aligns with international best practice for transparency.

Cons:

• Ministers have less direct day-to-day control over Crown entities and SOEs.

Why It Matters

Treasury’s Budget 2025 papers forecast Total Borrowings to rise from $250.9 billion in 2024 to $354.2 billion by 2029 – an increase of more than $100 billion – or $49,160 per household! – in just five years.

That’s real money, incurring real interest, to be paid by real taxpayers.

The bottom line is this: you can’t hide from interest payments. Whether it’s the core Crown or Kainga Ora borrowing the money, it’s the New Zealand taxpayer left footing the bill. And our Debt Clock should reflect that.

Conclusion

We’re switching to Total Borrowings because it gives the clearest, most honest picture of the Government’s debt. It includes everything – the full mortgage on the country.

We want a number that can’t be gamed. A number that is anchored in reality – tied to actual interest payments. And a number that reflects the total risk to taxpayers.

Politicians may try to hide behind accounting tricks. But our Debt Clock won’t.

Tick Tock, Tock Tock…

Since its launch, the New Zealand Debt Clock has highlighted the burden of government debt in real time. We’ve always aimed to present this figure in a way that's meaningful, honest, and easy for taxpayers to understand.

In recent years, we’ve used Net Core Crown Debt – a figure often referenced in government fiscal targets. But we’re making a change. From today, the Debt Clock will display Total Crown Borrowings. We’ve just updated it to reflect the Treasury’s latest Economic and Fiscal Update published with the Budget last week.

Why the Change?

There’s no single perfect measure of government debt. Like with any financial statement, different figures tell different parts of the story. But our job is to make sure taxpayers know the full picture – and Net Core Crown Debt has too many blind spots.

Let’s break down the options:

1. Net Core Crown Debt (the old measure)

Pros:

• Used in official Government fiscal targets.
• Gives a picture of the Government’s “net” position after liquid financial assets (like investments) are offset.

Cons:

• Opaque and prone to manipulation – depends on how the Government chooses to count "liquid assets".
• Doesn’t reflect the actual amount of money borrowed – or what interest taxpayers are paying.

• Excludes major government debt from Crown entities and SOEs like Kāinga Ora and KiwiRail — even though these costs are taxpayer-backed and directed by Ministers.

• Misleadingly low – paints a rosier picture than reality.

2. Core Crown Borrowings (a cleaner gross measure)

Pros:

• Represents the actual amount the core Government has borrowed.
• Ties directly to interest expenses – gives a more realistic picture of fiscal stress.
• Easier to compare to household debt (i.e., people don’t talk about their “net mortgage” – they talk about what they owe).

Cons:

• Still ignores massive Crown Entity and SOE borrowings (e.g. Kainga Ora, KiwiRail)
• Doesn’t reflect the full taxpayer liability across government.

3. Total Crown Borrowings (the new measure)

Pros:

• The most comprehensive measure of government debt – includes Crown entities, SOEs, and the lot.
• Can’t be gamed or disguised behind balance sheet footnotes.
• Reflects what taxpayers are ultimately on the hook for – whether debt is incurred by Ministers or their appointees to SOE boards.
• Aligns with international best practice for transparency.

Cons:

• Ministers have less direct day-to-day control over Crown entities and SOEs.

Why It Matters

Treasury’s Budget 2025 papers forecast Total Borrowings to rise from $250.9 billion in 2024 to $354.2 billion by 2029 – an increase of more than $100 billion – or $49,160 per household! – in just five years.

That’s real money, incurring real interest, to be paid by real taxpayers.

The bottom line is this: you can’t hide from interest payments. Whether it’s the core Crown or Kainga Ora borrowing the money, it’s the New Zealand taxpayer left footing the bill. And our Debt Clock should reflect that.

Conclusion

We’re switching to Total Borrowings because it gives the clearest, most honest picture of the Government’s debt. It includes everything – the full mortgage on the country.

We want a number that can’t be gamed. A number that is anchored in reality – tied to actual interest payments. And a number that reflects the total risk to taxpayers.

Politicians may try to hide behind accounting tricks. But our Debt Clock won’t.

Tick Tock, Tock Tock…

Commenting on Budget 2025’s failure to restrain New Zealand’s runaway Government debt, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said:

“Debt is increasing every single year over the forecast period in Budget 2025, reaching $108,700 per household by 2029. That’s $2,000 more than the last forecasts issued just five months ago.”

“Grant Robertson’s last Budget had debt peak at 39.3 percent of the economy – Nicola Willis will now see it reach 46.0 percent. This is in the danger zone for a small trade-exposed country like New Zealand.”

“A Government preaching responsibility is lumbering each household with $5,776 per year in interest costs by 2027. That’s more than the budgets for primary schools, secondary schools, and the police combined.”

“Nicola Willis was elected with the promise of fixing the country’s finances, but what she’s delivered today is a promise to keep robbing our kids and grandkids.”

As the "Hīkoi" for Balanced Budgets continues rolling through the South Island, our research team has been delving right into Budget 2025 preparations. 

The Debt Clock goes to Uni 🎓

We knew the Debt Clock would turn heads, now it’s earning tutorial time!

This week, at Victoria University of Wellington, a tax tutorial kicked off not with the usual dry case study on IRD, but with a full-on display of our glorious Debt Clock!

The lecturer read out the latest eye-watering number (yep, it’s still going up), explained that the debt clock wasn’t a government initiative (heaven forbid they acknowledge the debt they’ve racked up), and then gave his students a helpful disclaimer: “[the Taxpayers’ Union] are not very politically central… they sit very far to the right.”

We have to wonder whether this tutorial came with a trigger warning for those afraid of anything slightly to the right of Karl Marx...

We hope you’re as thrilled as we are that our Debt Clock is being used to teach students about government overspending, even if it comes with an ideological side-eye 

Tick tock, Nicola ⏰

While our work continues to inspire uni lecturers, Levi and the interns are motoring with the hīkoi Debt Clock up the West Coast of the South Island, before making it's way back to Wellington to be in place for Budget Day. Details are here.

🚨 Rolling through the South Island 

The Debt Clock has officially travelled the length of New Zealand, from Kerikeri in Northland to Bluff in the South Island. That's 1300km - or, to put it another way, 1km for every $146 MILLION currently owed in debt by this country.

We even met some future taxpayers on the road. Remember, it's not us who will be paying for Willis's failure to bring down the debt - it's them 👇

But we're not finished yet.

👉 See the remaining South Island stops here

Debunking the Pay Equity porkies 🐷

If you've been watching the news lately, you’d think the Government just declared war on women.

But as usual, the truth is a bit more complicated — and it’s being buried under a mountain of media spin, union outrage, and left-wing talking points.

Let’s cut through it 🪓

No, women aren’t losing their right to fair pay.

The law still allows claims between employers — if, say, two people doing the same job at the same organisation are being paid differently based on gender, they can still take a pay equity case. And we’d be the first to call it out if that right was taken away.

What the Government is changing is a process that’s been warped beyond recognition. At the moment, public sector unions are using it to hike public sector pay by comparing jobs that aren’t even remotely alike — matching up librarians with engineers, or corrections officers with admin staff, purely because of gender ratios in different sectors.

It’s ideological. It’s nonsense. And it’s costing taxpayers billions.

The real agenda? Backdoor pay rises for the already-overpaid public sector 🚪

The public sector already earns $10 more an hour on average than workers outside the Beehive bubble. But the unions saw a loophole in the current rules and rammed a truck through it.

That’s why this reform matters. Treasury warned that if the old law remained in place, it could add billions more every year in pay claims — money we simply don’t have when the Government is still borrowing $47 million a day.

So what’s the media not telling you? 🤫

They’re trying to paint this as a rollback of women's rights — but what they’re not reporting is that this new system still allows genuine pay equity cases, and in fact tightens the law to make sure comparisons are fair, not fanciful.

The New Zealand Herald, Stuff, and RNZ have all breathlessly reported the what, but barely whispered the why. No context, no scrutiny, just a PR job for the union movement.

And they’re conveniently ignoring the fact that the last Government knew this system was a fiscal time bomb — they just didn’t have the guts to fix it.

We didn’t give Nicola Willis a free pass either.

The new Government made a mistake by ramming this law through under urgency. As I said on NewstalkZB with Kerre Woodham, this should’ve gone to a select committee so the public could have their say.

That's half of why the Government's lost the comms battle on this - it's good policy but bad process.

But Bottom line? This is a win for sanity and taxpayers. And we’re not afraid to cut through the media spin — even if it upsets a few Twitter activists along the way.

Full Capital Expensing: Axing the Tax on Investment 🚜

This week our team was digging back into one of our favourite topics - the Full Capital Expensing policy that gives businesses their cash back sooner, so they can reinvest. Because, as you know, businesses know how best to invest for growth - not the government.

Watch Alex explain in less than 60 seconds(ish) what this policy is, why we're championing it - and why it's best for business 👇

Government’s $100 Million Gamble: Taxpayers Left Holding the Cards 🃏🎰

In their pre-announcements for Budget 2025, the Government appears to have decided to double down on corporate welfare by injecting an additional $100 million into the Elevate NZ Venture Fund.

The way to grow the economy isn’t just to tax more, spend more, and try to pick winners?

If venture capitalists want to gamble with their own money then that's fine - in fact, we celebrate that people put their own money on the line to boost our economy. What we object to is the government deciding to use our money to gamble in such a risky manner.

Corporate welfare might make for a good photo op, but $100 million of taxpayers’ cash is a steep price for a splash in the papers.

This move comes despite the country already borrowing more than $47 million every single day. Let's stop playing roulette with taxpayers' money.

Listen to my discussion with Heather du Plessis-Allan last night to find out more about why we oppose this latest example of the government getting their spending priorities wrong.

Who pays $125 million for new Council offices!? 🤬

And let's talk about local government waste - something Tauranga City Council seems to have a sense of.

Turns out, they've signed the lease for a new office, costing $91.9 million!

That's not all - a further $33.5 million has been budgeted for an interior fit out, complete with $470,000 for coffee machines. That's $125 million towards the new offices!

While basic city services fall by the wayside, we thought such extravagant spending was completely outrageous - and called on Council to get back to the basics; fix the roads, clear the drains, and stop behaving like they need offices fit for a Fortune 500 company!

Tauranga doesn’t need luxury Council headquarters—it needs accountability.

NEW Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams: Exposing inefficiencies in our building sector with David Baker 🎙️

This week Peter Williams is joined by social media sensation David Baker, from Rapid QS.

David is a quantity surveyor by trade, specialising in pricing residential buildings - and has spent the last year blowing the whistle on why so many public housing and infrastructure projects cost so much.

David also raising growing concern with agencies being unable to explain why the costs are so high, starting a wide-ranging social media campaign to expose these costs and inefficiencies within the industry.

You can listen to the episode on our website, or on Apple Podcasts,Spotify, iHeart Radio and all other good podcast apps.

Thanks for your support,

James Ross Policy & Public Affairs Manager New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

Hi,

It's been a busy week here at the Taxpayers' Union, with Rhys and our interns out on the road continuing the "Hīkoi" for Balanced Budgets, and the research team prepping for the Budget in just a few weeks time.

We have the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll (spoiler alert: people don't think the country is heading in the right direction...).

But first, we start on a sad note.

🕯️ RIP Sir Robert Jones — A Champion for Liberty 

It is with sadness that on Friday we learned of the passing of Sir Robert Jones.

Sir Bob was many things: a property tycoon, political party founder, bestselling author — and never one to hold his tongue. But to us, he was also a generous supporter, a kindred spirit, and one of New Zealand’s boldest advocates for free speech and smaller government.

From his scathing critiques of bureaucratic bloat to the mischievous signs he gifted the capital (the “toilet in 100 meters” signs dutify pointing towards Parliament is a favourite of ours), Sir Bob’s legacy is a reminder that liberty and humour can go hand in hand.

Sir Bob stirred the pot, told the truth, and made New Zealand more interesting.

Rest in mischief, Sir Bob.

— The team @ the Taxpayers’ Union

New milestone for National Debt ⏰

Unnoticed by the media, just before 9pm Friday, the national debt quietly hit $190 billion (that's $93,381 per household!) - based on the most recent Treasury information release set to be updated with this month's Budget.

With more and more Kiwis getting their news and information via social media, to mark the occasion, the Taxpayers' Union has launched an X (formerly called Twitter) account to live-tweet the state of the nation's debt on the hour, every hour, 365 days of the year. 

The bot – created by a talented intern in between Hīkoi stops – uses the same NZ Treasury/Budget figures used at the official New Zealand Debt Clock website at DebtClock.nz.

Read it and weep.

That storm 💨

Thank you to everyone who contributed to make the Hīkoi for Balanced Budgets possible. The storm may have cleared, but the fiscal storm continues!

Government debt is now more than $93,500 for every household in New Zealand. And it’s growing by more than $47 million every single day (so much for the ‘cuts’ the media love to talk about) 🤨

🚨 Next stop: the South Island 

After dodging literal storms and gale-force winds, we took the message of battling Nicola’s own (debt) storm throughout the North Island, stopping at:

📍Mangawhai, Whangārei, Kaitaia, Paihia, Kerikeri, Dargaville, Wellsford, Kaikohe, Waitangi, Hamilton, Thames, Morrinsville, Tauranga, Taupō, Tūrangi, Taumarunui, Rotorua, Feilding, Palmerston North, Levin, Paraparaumu, and Porirua.

Everywhere we went, people stopped, pointed, snapped photos — and asked: “Is the debt that big..?” “I can’t believe it’s that big.” Sadly, it really is that big. 😔

The Hīkoi Debt Clock is currently crossing the Cook Strait and starts the South Island leg with a stop in Christchurch tomorrow. Details are here.

This campaign isn’t just about big numbers. It’s about the future our kids and grandkids inherit. Every extra million borrowed means more interest payments to overseas investors and less for the public services we enjoy.

👉 See the full list of South Island stops here.

NEW POLL: Coalition could form Government, but country direction back in the red ⚠️

The Government Coalition holds on to its lead in this month's Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll, dropping by a single seat compared to last month.

But the PM won't be "totally relaxed" with today's results, with an increased number of voters telling pollsters that they think the country’s going in the "wrong direction". 

In terms of the party vote, National is up 1.1 points to 34.6 percent while Labour is up 3.4 points to 33.2 percent. The Greens are down 1.9 points to 9.1 percent, while ACT is down to 9.5 percent (-0.5 points). New Zealand First remains on 7.4 percent while Te Pāti Māori is down 0.4 points to 3.9 percent. 

The projected seats for the Centre-Right is 63 – that's down 1 seat from last month. The combined seats for the Centre-Left is up 1 seat to 58. 

On these numbers, National and ACT would still require the support of New Zealand First to form a Government. 

The interesting move is in net country direction. Only 33 percent of people now think the country’s heading in the right direction (that's down a lot: nine points since last month's poll), while 46 percent (up two points) told our pollsters the country is headed in the "wrong direction".

As Sam said on our staff call this morning: "As you stare into the Debt Clock and the the sea of red, it's difficult not to conclude that something's headed in the 'wrong direction'." Indeed!

<<See the poll results here>>

Spaghetti Government: too many cooks in the cabinet? 🍝

Regular readers of Taxpayer Update will be familiar with the spaghetti maze of ministries exposed by a recent report by the New Zealand Initiative think tank, (we note authored too by none other than Taxpayers’ Union alum Max Salmon 😉) which exposed the labyrinth of ministries and reporting lines and proving that Nicola Willis still has a lot of cleaning up to do 🧹 (read the report here).

Recall this is New Zealand's lines of responsibility between Ministers, departments, and major sectors of the economy.

And here is a country of roughly the same size, Norway. Notice any difference?

But Christopher Luxon doesn't want the memo, telling Mike Hosking on Monday that he's "happy with the number of ministries". 🤯

Put well by the New Zealand Initiative boss, Dr Oliver Hartwich:

“As if the minister of finance should not always be automatically normally the minister also taking care of economic growth. It’s just window dressing.”

Indeed! 

More than 10,000 emails to the PM and Minister Watts calling for Rates Capping Law 📩

More than any other issue, rates are cited by our supporters as the biggest driver of the cost-of-living pressure. Last year, rates increased by an average of 15 percent.

Our Local Government Campaigns Manager, Sam Warren, sounded the alarm last week to the Government, asking them to commit to rates capping – laws to limit how much your rates can be increased each year, and make Councils live within their means – just like the communities they are supposed to serve.

Since Sam’s message, more than 10,000 emails have been sent to the Minister and Prime Minister telling them to stay firm and cap council rate hikes. Clearly, people are fed up and want a return to the basics: pipes, roads and rubbish. 

If you've not already, please take a moment to add your name and email the PM and Minister of Local Government using our tool here.

A lot more to come on this campaign – and other work we're doing to improve and curtail local council costs. Keep an eye out once the dust settles on the Budget in two week's time.

Ex-PMs are taking taxpayers for a ride? 🚗💨

When most of us move on from a job, we're expected to hand back the company car, right? Well, not so much with former PMs, who as it turns out, not only get a gold-plated pension, but also brand-new, taxpayer-funded cars!

Our research team has found that since 2017, nearly $310,000 has been spent on “Former Prime Ministers Travel Services” entitlements: $296,009.87 on the cars themselves, and another $14,061.99 on fuel and maintenance.

The only ones who turned down the offer? John Key, who declined the 'entitlement' (good on you, Sir John!), and Chris Hipkins (who didn’t last long enough to qualify).

Cultural Impact Assessment for a [checks notes] public loo 🤦

Our young research interns often uncovered, errrr, crap from Councils – and sometimes we have to tell them that that not every overpriced public toilet is worth highlighting by the Taxpayers' Union.

But the costs of a Far North public lav has a strange odour. The Council spent more than $150,000 on one public toilet in Kerikeri – with $30,000 eaten up by compliance and red tape alone!

The thirty grand was made up of $5,000 for a Cultural Impact Assessment from local Hapu, $5,198 for an Archeological Research Survey and Assessment work, and a further $19,732 on various consents, project management and monitoring!

$150,000 for a loo involving consultants, cultural monitors, and bureaucratic sign-offs. This is why we can't have nice things and reasonable rates.

If only the Far North District Council could provide facilities for relief, not money flushing.

Thanks for your support,

James Ross Policy & Public Affairs Manager New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

Hi,

Thanks again to the hundreds of supporters who have chipped in to get the National Debt Clock back on the road in the form of our "Hīkoi for Balanced Budgets" (we're calling it a Hīkoi so that even 1News will have no option but to cover it! 😉 ).

Rhys, Sam and some of the interns have been on the road, and we're on track to raise the funds to get the Clock around the South Island and then to Wellington before the Budget.

Thank you for making it possible!

More details on the routes and proposed dates here.

Nicola Willis's big pre-budget speech 🎤

Last week, we explained how politicians often say there are "cuts" to spending, when really they just mean the Government isn’t increasing spending as much as originally planned — not that it’s actually spending less than before.

Cue Nicola Willis, who yesterday announced to a Wellington business audience (yes, there is such a thing!) that she has adjusted what's called the 'operating allowance' for Budget 2025.

The operating allowance is the term used for the amount allocated to new spending. It's important because it effectively sets the new baseline for the following year (i.e. it's cumulative).

It was to be $2.4 billion, but now new spending will be "just" $1.3 billion (that's another $639 per household).

NZ Herald falls for it: a slower increase in spending is not a "cut" 🤦‍♂️

This morning's NZ Herald says it all: splashing "Cuts to save 'billions' for Budget". Nicola Willis's spin doctors will be very happy!

Don't be fooled, the so-called 'cut' is merely a slowdown to the rate of increase of Government spending.

So while Nicola Willis deserves some credit for facing fiscal reality, let’s not kid ourselves. The spending's still going up.

Since 2017, Government spending adjusted for inflation has ballooned by 46 percent. That’s an extra $45 billion – i.e. $22,123.91 per household – being spent each year.

The chart the Beehive really want you to see ❤️

As the Speech was being delivered, your humble Taxpayers' Union started receiving messages from senior political staffers and Government MPs.

They sent us copies of the speech (you can read it here) and this chart posted onto X (formerly Twitter), which shows the various operating allowances in recent years:

We get the distinct impression, Nicola Willis really wants you to know that she's spending at a slower rate than Grant Robertson. 

But here's the chart the Beehive DON'T want you to see 👀

It's great that the pace of increase is slowing down, but it really doesn't reflect the seriousness of the situation.

According to the newly released International Monetary Fund Fiscal Monitor, New Zealand has the worst primary deficit of any advanced economy.

Click for larger version.

The change to the Operating Allowance announced yesterday brings us up *maybe* one or two places...

So ahead of the Slovak Republic and maybe Poland! Yippee. 👍 👀

The IMF report makes sober reading. In a guest post (re-published with permission) the Reserve Bank's former Head of Financial Markets, Michael Reddell, works through it.

Sound the klaxons – we have to raise the alarm before it's too late ⏰ 🚨

This is why we're on the road with the National Debt Clock Hīkoi for Balanced Budgets.

New Zealand isn't just living beyond its means, it's living beyond its means more than any other country!

The media are not sounding the alarm. It's up to us.

The thing about Government Debt is that it won't be Nicola Willis, Christopher Luxon, or David Seymour who will be around to pay for it. It'll be our kids and grandkids who'll be picking up the tab (with interest!).

So, something we've been working on in the background was how to address the increasingly bad hand that our younger ones are getting dealt with.

Between our county's crippling debt, soaring living costs, and crushing tax burden, some are saying that New Zealand’s youth are “Generation Screwed”.

To take the fight for lower taxes, less waste and more accountability to universities, the Taxpayers’ Union has been rallying students who believe in the mission. We now have 25 student volunteers currently taking the mission to five universities through meet-ups to discuss government waste, advocacy stalls, and to turn the financial future of New Zealand’s “Generation Screwed” around.

In the few months since we launched, hundreds of students have already joined Generation Screwed, and have held more than ten events to spread the message of limited government.

By engaging the next generation to stand up to the Government and take back the universities from the communists left, the Taxpayers’ Union isn’t just concerned about the war on waste today, but focused on building up a group of taxpayer heroes to fight the war on waste for tomorrow.

Like all our work, Generation Screwed is made possible by those who generously chip-in. To support the next generation or sponsor a student intern, click here to make a donation, or contact our Fundraising Manager.

Peter Williams hosts Taxpayer Talk: Hon Ruth Richardson on Budget 2025 🎙️

This week on Taxpayer Talk, Peter sat down with Ruth Richardson, Minister of Finance during the National-Bolger Government, and catalyst of major economic reforms during the 90s.

One of New Zealand's most respected Ministers of Finance, Ruth remains a deep thinker on the country’s dangerous fiscal position and how we can extract ourselves from it.

With this year’s Budget only a few weeks away, she sets a path back to fiscal sustainability and tackles universal superannuation, the health system and the corporate tax rate.

You can listen to the episode on our website, or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio and other good podcast apps. 

Thanks for your support.

James Ross Policy & Public Affairs Manager New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

👻 BOO! $90,388 trick or treat for your household 🎃💀

Like many Dads, later today I'll be taking my kids around the neighbourhood for the American pagan tradition of "trick or treating".

According to my five year old, the tradition is to "ward off the ghosts" – but I suspect she has other (sugar-based) motives... 

Little does she really know, that the fright isn't with the costumes or the water pistols. The fright of her life is to come once she grows up and inherits the "trick" the current generation of politics is "treating" our kids (and grandkids) with.

So if you really want to scare those brats knocking at your door tonight – send them over to the Official Government Debt Clock.

Right now, Government borrowing amounts to $90,388 for every New Zealand household.

And despite what the media would have you believe about so-called "cuts" in Wellington, Nicola Willis is borrowing money at an even faster rate than when Grant Robertson was in charge!!

Spooky. 

And nearly as annoying as sugar-charge kids on a school night, are those damn "e-cards" that land in your email inbox. Well, brace yourself. 

EXPOSED: Sport NZ's spend $170k on 298 emails (yes, seriously)🥇💌

Sport New Zealand is one of those Government quango's that sounds all very well, until you realise that they simply have too much time (and too much of our money).

The fully-taxpayer-funded crown entity is to (to quote from there website): 

kaitiaki (guardian) of the play, active recreation and sport system in Aotearoa New Zealand. [...]

The Sport NZ Group also includes High Performance Sport NZ, which leads the high performance sport system, supporting athletes and coaches to deliver performances on the world stage that inspire the nation and its communities, helping to build national identity and promote New Zealand internationally.

Your humble Taxpayers' Union has uncovered as part of a "campaign" to thank Kiwi coaches, Sport NZ commissioned a custom built website so people could thank their sports coach.

The website generated an "e-card" (i.e. an email with a picture in it).

Sport NZ pumped $131,598 of taxpayers' money into the project (topped up by another $40 grand from charity) to generate [double checks notes] just 298 emails!

That's $575 per e-card...

Nothing says "thanks coach" like spam a $575 email 🥰🙏

Back when I was an "elite" sportsman (I'll have you know I was the captain of the third soccer team in my 7th form year) thanking the coach was a bit different.

Back then, a physical card, a slab of beer, or a box of chocolates would have said "thanks". But it's 2024 and kids need to get with the programme. Sports NZ would prefer Kiwis spam their coach to show their appreciation!

The $171,598 could have bought 8,580 rugby balls, 4,903 pairs of swimming goggles, or 34,320 tennis balls. Instead we got 298 emails!

If wasting money was a sport, guess who just got the gold medal. 👏

Wellington Council boo-hoo: Crown Observer appointed, Tory is "disappointed" 😢

Speaking of coaches, Wellington City Councillor better get their e-card ready because they've got a new coach on the way.

The City Council is now officially in the naughty corner after Local Government Minister Simeon Brown sent a Crown Observer to clean up their mess.

Not a moment too soon, with rates and debt both set to triple!

Initially, the Wellington Mayor was the bigger person. The NZ Herald even ran a front page splash that the Mayor was "contrite".

Alas, it didn't last long though, as later the very same day:

The Mayor of Wellington really doesn't help her own cause...

We know there's a real danger here, a Crown Observer is sorely needed, but as we saw in Tauranga it can be a slippery slope to Commissioners.

Wellington's leadership might have well and truly dropped the ball, but they were democratically elected. 

Putting another unelected bureaucrat at the top isn't going to make that go away. As we saw in Tauranga, things aren't going to get better until we have some decent, elected leadership at the top.

We say that a better option than appointing unelected Mandarins to "fix" a wayward council, would be giving New Zealanders the option for recall election as is common overseas.

Local Government Minister Simeon Brown – a true reformer to improve local democracy? 🗳️

Coincidentally, we hosted the Local Government Minister at our Auckland offices last night. He was taking questions from members of our Taxpayer Caucus (our most generous supporters who make the Taxpayers' Union's work possible).

As well as building on the points of the Prime Minister's excellent speech to the LGNZ conference back in August, Simeon Brown commented that he reads our emails and that his office is forwarded our updates (particularly those from Peter Williams about Three Waters) "sometimes by 500-or-so people".  Good to know you're getting the message, Minister! 😉

On the subject of recall elections, the Minister was well versed on the arguments and not ruling it out – especially if local councils eventually move to a four year electoral term.

We hold our small events with Ministers and policy influences regularly. If you (or your business) would like to consider stepping up your support and joining the Taxpayer Caucus, contact me or or my colleague Michelle van der Veer.

Gold coated canapés? Health NZ has you covered🥂🚑

You'll recall a few weeks back Health New Zealand's senior leaders were exposed for swanning around a conference spending more than $9000 on canapés alone!

Given Health New Zealand's deficit has blown out to $1.76 billion - that's about $880 per household – bureaucrats at the top chowing back canapés at $32 a piece is a bitter pill to swallow. 

Meanwhile, newly announced plans to reduce the quality of the food in hospital canteens rubs salt into the wound.

Bureaucrats get gold, but patients, doctors and nurses get the scraps?

Our Canadian colleague, Alex, put paid to this rort joining Micheal Laws on The Platform.

And taking this absolute grift as a personal challenge, Alex went went one step further to see how many canapés he could whip up for the cost of just a single one of theirs.

NZTA spending $710k on art not roads 🎨👨‍🎨

New Zealand's roads are in a state. With potholes, gridlock, and danger, every dollar should be going to where it is most needed.

So when our research team discovered the enormous amount NZTA is spending on art, the petrol heads in our office shook their heads. Our latest investigation has revealed the $710,000 price tag of some of the sculptures going up in the Mackenzie basin.

This price tag is only a drop in the ocean. NZTA couldn't even tell us how much they'd spent on sculptures just this year. When we asked, we were told it was too much work.

Here at the Taxpayers' Union, we love public art. But we like public art that is (at least partly) funded by public initiatives such as sculpture trusts and local community groups.

Having Wellington bureaucrats splash our cash on some giant tweezers, sorry, 'roadside sculptures' means less money for, well, roads.

New Plymouth Council spends $1.2 million on beach ramp ⛱️

Yesterday, the Taxpayers' Union called into question New Plymouth District Council splashing out a whopping $1,280,841 on a new set of beach stairs and ramp at Fitzroy Beach, and we’re left wondering: is this really the best use of $1.2 million?

New Plymouth’s “Beach Street Access for All” project touts accessibility for everyone, and who wouldn't support making beaches accessible to all?

But here's the kicker: New Plymouth already has an extensive coastal walkway that connects most beaches, making them accessible from other points.

Local Government Campaigns Manager Sam Warren didn’t mince words, suggesting the project could see further cost blowouts and questioning whether the nearly $1.2 million price tag is justifiable in today’s tight economy.

With rates already up 11.5 per cent, New Plymouth ratepayers should be asking for a detailed breakdown of where every dollar is going.

Taxpayer Talks: Mayor Nick Smith on the future of local government

On this week's episode of Taxpayer Talk, Jordan sat down to talk with current Nelson Mayor and former National Party Minister, Nick Smith.

First elected as a Member of Parliament in 1990, Nick Smith would remain an MP for over three decades. Nick would serve across a number of portfolios, including as Minister of Education, the Local Government, and Housing. He was elected as Nelson's Mayor in 2022, and now chairs LGNZ's Electoral Reform Group.

With Wellington and Hastings councils in the news over the last few weeks, and the local elections looming next year, Nick joins us to talk local government and local democracy.

Listen to the episode on our website | Apple Podcasts | Spotify | iHeart Radio

Enjoy your trick or treating! 👻

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union