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?”

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 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 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 Taxpayers’ Union is slamming news of another taxpayer-funded payout, this time to Reserve Bank Deputy Governor Christian Hawkesby, calling it the second golden handshake revealed in as many months.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“This is déjà vu for taxpayers. Just weeks after Adrian Orr’s golden goodbye was revealed, we’re now seeing another six-figure payout dressed up as a ‘restraint of trade’. It’s the same old story: public-sector insiders look after their own while taxpayers pick up the tab.”

“Most Kiwis don’t get a cushy payout when they leave their jobs, so why should bureaucrats who already get paid eye-watering salaries be treated any differently?”

“The power to stop this sits squarely with Minister Judith Collins. Anyone in the public service earning more than the Prime Minister should have no entitlement to a taxpayer-funded golden handshake, period.”

“Two golden handshakes in two months is two too many. The Minister needs to act now to protect taxpayers from footing the bill for more of these outrageous payouts.”

Taxpayers who agree that golden handshakes must end can sign the petition at taxpayers.org.nz/petition_end_golden_handshakes.

While frontline health workers are crying out for resources, public sector bosses are walking away with six-figure payouts— even when they fail.

These golden handshakes are bureaucratic back-handers at their worst. Taxpayer-funded farewell packages, legal settlements, and even private courses for disgraced officials are being dished out with zero accountability.

It’s time to change the law. Public servants paid more than Cabinet Ministers (c. $296,000pa) they should not be able to take unjustified dismissal claims against the Crown nor receive taxpayer-funded pay-outs to resign when they’ve done a bad job.

If senior public servants are to be paid the big bucks, they should accept the responsibility that comes with the role. 

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On the news Health NZ paid for outgoing Chief Executive Margie Apa to attend a governance course — after she’d already resigned.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Co-ordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Margie Apa was already one of the highest-paid public servants in the country — pocketing $895,000 this year, nearly $400,000 more than the Prime Minister. Now taxpayers are being forced to top that up with a golden handshake on the way out the door.”

“This wasn’t some internal training session. This was a career-boosting governance course — funded by you and me — for a Chief Executive who had one foot out the door."

"Health NZ calls it ‘outplacement support’. We call it a waste of money.”

“While hospitals are under pressure and frontline workers are crying out for resources, the top brass are looking after their own. It’s bureaucratic back-handers at its worst.”

"Its time to end the days of public service Golden Handshakes."

Responding to news that two Three Waters Chief Executives have received a combined $710,000 in redundancy payments, Taxpayers’ Union Policy and Public Affairs Manager, James Ross, said:

“Golden handshakes worth almost 11 times the annual median wage combined after just 10 months of work are just one example of a culture of waste in Wellington. Bureaucrats continued to sign away vast sums of taxpayers’ money well after it became clear unpopular, divisive mega-projects like Three Waters and Let’s Get Wellington Moving would be scrapped.

“Public sector fat cats already earning almost 4.5 times as much as an MP should not be entitled to enormous redundancy payments straight from the back pockets of hardworking Kiwi taxpayers.”

Napier City Council is reportedly negotiating a nearly $1 million payout for departing CEO Wayne Jack.

Departing CEOs do not need or deserve massive payouts – especially when they've lost the confidence of councillors. If Napier City Council is unhappy with Wayne Jack's performance – and they have every reason to be – then they should avoid the cost of a managed exit, and simply fire him.

Mr Jack has spent seven years being paid around $300,000 – he's milked Napier ratepayers enough already.