“Today’s Statistics NZ release of GDP growth of 0.8% for the first quarter of 2025 is welcome,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf.

“However, recent domestic economic indicators are showing a marked slowdown in the economy, with the BNZ describing the economy as ‘hitting a Q2 brick wall.’ Concerns about rising inflation are growing, which may slow the pace of further easing of monetary conditions.”

“The Government cannot rely on the Reserve Bank to reduce the official cash rate at a pace that will further stimulate the economy. The Government must change its fiscal stance by reducing expenditure. Whilst reprioritising expenditure may provide value, it is difficult to understand how further subsidies for movie moguls is a good use of scarce taxpayers’ funds. The Government must look harder at the programmes it is funding and delete those that provide little value.”

"Budget 2024 was a missed opportunity for growth; Budget 2025 looks wholly irresponsible."

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is welcoming Federated Farmers’ call for voters to back candidates this October who commit to capping rates hikes at inflation.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Rates bills went up 15 percent on average last year. Farmers just like everyone else are being fleeced by a local government sector more focused on vanity projects and bureaucratic bloat than getting the basics right.”

“The pressure is building. More than 15,000 Kiwis have already signed the Taxpayers' Union's petition to cap rates at inflation, and now Federated Farmers have joined the call.”

“Ratepayers are saying no to year after year of double-digit rates hikes. Minister Watts needs to act, put a lid on rates bills, and knock some common sense back into local government."

The Taxpayers’ Union’s Cap Rates Now petition is available at CapRatesNow.nz

The Taxpayers’ Union has revealed through an Official Information Act request that the Department of Conservation (DOC) has spent $411,875 on the endangered southern Powelliphanta augusta snails.

Following the collapse of Solid Energy, DOC took over responsibility for the captive snails, with additional habitat restoration projects now costing more than $1 million.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator Rhys Hurley said:

“These snails have been in captivity since 2006. DOC has killed over 800 by accident, yet they’re still planning to spend millions and another five years till they'll all be fully released.”

“There have been multiple proposals for this programme, but instead DOC has bred over 4,000 snails in fridges in Hokitika and is now figuring out how to slow the breeding down as facilities hit capacity.”

“Taxpayers aren’t opposed to conservation, but the lack of substance in this scheme shows the ridiculousness of the system. It drains DOC funding away from other species, is unaccountable, and refuses to acknowledge success.”

“This is conservation at its most expensive and least effective. It's time to take the snails out of the fridge and make the hard decisions on protecting our native species.”

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through an Official Information Act response that the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has lost or had stolen 280 taxpayer-funded iPhones and iPads over the last three financial years.

With 258 missing iPhones and 22 iPads, that is almost two devices going missing every single week. Based on MBIE’s estimates, the average replacement cost per device is $490, putting the bill at $137,200.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley said:

“You’d think the Ministry in charge of economic development might have a handle on keeping track of its own gear. Two lost iPhones a week is either shockingly poor management or a sign of a department that simply doesn’t care that taxpayers are footing the bill.”

“Worse still, these figures dont include lost laptops. They are the most expensive devices, so this $137,000 is just the tip of the growing iceberg.”

“These government agencies need stricter internal accountability for missing equipment, full transparency on the real cost of lost laptops, and clearer consequences for departments that treat public property like it's disposable.”

“While households across the country are cutting back, MBIE is running a revolving door for lost iPhones. Taxpayers deserve better.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is backing Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s comments on reining in pandemic-era sick leave rules.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf says: “The current system is fundamentally unfair, costly, and out of touch with economic reality - especially for the taxpayers footing the bill.”

“Sick leave entitlements disproportionately favour part-time workers, some of whom can claim the same leave as full-timers despite working a fraction of the hours. That’s simply not fair, particularly when those jobs are taxpayer-funded.”

“New Zealand’s already dire productivity is being hammered by skyrocketing absenteeism at huge public cost.”

Nationally, absences jumped from 7.3 million in 2022 to 10 million in 2023. In the public service alone, the average number of sick/domestic leave days rose more than 26 percentsince the introduction of the amended legislation, adding up to 648,347 lost workdays last year - all paid for by the taxpayer.

“And now, according to Southern Cross, staff are increasingly treating paid sick leave as a no-questions-asked entitlement, even when they’re not genuinely unwell,” Relf says.

“New Zealand is already near the bottom of the OECD for productivity. We can’t fix that if we’re asking taxpayers to pay more and get less.”

“Luxon’s idea would be a much-needed reset. Fairer rules, fewer lost days, and better value for event cent of taxpayers' money being spent.”

The latest Public Service Commission workforce data shows an uptick in public service employees since December 2024. As of 31 March 2025, there were 63,238 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the public service, reflecting a 0.4% increase from December 2024 and 15,987 more staff than the 47,251 reported in 2017.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator Rhys Hurley said:

“Today’s growth figures are alarming. This uptick in bureaucrats doesn’t mean better services, just more taxpayer money on an already bloated sector.”

“Time and time again, we’ve seen public service delivery getting worse, while unions cry foul at the thought of trimming backroom staff.”

“Bureaucratic bloat already saw a nearly 40% growth over the six years of the previous Labour government. Even with a slight decrease from the peak of 65,699 in December 2023, these numbers represent just a drop in the ocean.”

“Minister Willis cannot allow backroom staff numbers to continue rising when true efficiency hasn’t been achieved. It’s time for the Government to deliver on its promise of cutting wasteful spending by optimising the public service.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out Adrian Orr’s resignation as nothing more than a sulk over funding disagreements, despite a significant increase in funding over and above the previous five-year agreement.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Orr resigned because he didn’t quite get all of the massive funding increase he was pushing for, but how much bloat would be enough? Even a small amount of financial self-control was too much to handle for the Governor.”

“The Reserve Bank’s funding agreement was still 21% higher than the last five-year deal, and 139% higher than the one before that. With staff numbers blowing out by 2.5x since 2018, is anyone surprised RBNZ always seems to be running out of taxpayers’ cash?”

“If the Governor - or any other departmental head - can’t control costs, they need to resign. Hopefully the next Reserve Bank Governor can show more respect for taxpayers.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is challenging Nicola Willis to stick to her promise and rein in the public sector wage bill after Public Sector Commission figures reveal that public sector workers were almost twice as likely to receive a salary increase as those in the private sector in the first quarter of 2025.

"Nicola Willis promised to get the public sector wage bill under control, but the data shows that she has failed to do so," said Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf.

“In just three months, 20 percent of public sector workers received a pay rise, compared to only 11 percent in the private sector. Why do bureaucrats keep getting pay hikes when taxpayers aren’t seeing the same?”

“With the average bureaucrat’s salary now topping $101,000 and continuing to climb, the trend is clear: public sector spending remains out of control.”

"Willis’ promise to curb public sector wage inflation is looking more like a broken vow. With one in five public sector workers getting a pay rise in just the last quarter, it’s clear this government is not taking control of spending."

"New Zealanders deserve a government that keeps its promises and manages taxpayers’ money responsibly. It's time for Nicola Willis to take action, slash the bureaucratic wage bill, and stop making empty promises."

The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming the NZTA for the third missed launch target in nine months for their “Motu Move” National Ticketing System.

Taxpayers’ Union Communications Officer, Alex Emes, said:

“If taxpayers’ are on the hook for an unneeded program to the tune of $650 per household, the least they expect is for the program to be launched on time.”

“All around the world, you can pay public transport fare with contactless debit and credit cards. Creating a National Ticketing system is just another useless political vanity project.”

“If the government really wanted to make things easier, it should move towards the simpler and more cost-efficient option of having transport providers offer a contactless option.”

“Everyone knows: three strikes and you’re out. NZTA’s time with their National Ticketing System vanity project is up. The government needs to can this disastrous program before it ends up inevitably costing taxpayers more.”