Posted in PAPERS & BRIEFINGS by NZTU Media | July 27, 2026
The Taxpayers' Union has released a new report, The Art of the State: The value of New Zealand’s council art collections, exposing $1.12 billion worth of artwork owned by New Zealand councils, with almost two-thirds hidden from the ratepayers who paid for it.Taxpayers' Union spokeswoman,...
Read more about NEW REPORT: Councils sitting on $1.12 billion art collectionPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | July 3, 2026
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says the latest revelations about the Ministry of Justice are a damning indictment of public sector accountability.“The question isn’t where Russell Harrison is. The question is: where is Secretary for Justice Andrew Kibblewhite?”“This happened on his watch. Yet...
Read more about Justice Ministry boss must front over five-year taxpayer-funded “garden leave”Posted in NEWS by NZTU Media | June 16, 2026
The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union says revelations that public servants knowingly misled a Minister, deliberately avoided Cabinet scrutiny, and wasted millions of taxpayer dollars on a failed immigration project expose a culture of arrogance and impunity within the public service.Reports indicate officials withheld information...
Read more about Heads must roll after officials caught plotting to bypass Ministerial oversightPosted in PAPERS & BRIEFINGS by Tory Relf | June 12, 2026
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union has released The Ratepayers’ Guide to Amalgamation, setting out a ratepayer test for council mergers ahead of the Government’s deadline for amalgamation plans.Taxpayers’ Union Senior Policy Analyst Josh Van Veen said:“Councils have been given just three months to prepare amalgamation...
Read more about The Ratepayers’ Guide to AmalgamationPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | May 28, 2026
Despite branding this a “responsible Budget”, Nicola Willis has today confirmed the Government will have borrowed more by 2029/30 than Treasury forecast just five months ago.Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:“The accounting tricks and fiscal illusions in Budget 2026 can’t hide the facts. Yes,...
Read more about If this Budget is responsible, why are we borrowing more?Posted in NEWS by NZTU Media | May 28, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out this year’s Budget for its continued spending commitments.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“Despite Minister Willis’ assurances to the contrary, this Budget is full of sugar hits.”“From $20 million to host the Pacific Islands Forum, to $48 million for...
Read more about Budget 2026 delivers a sugar hit for new spendingPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | May 27, 2026
Responding to reports that the Government is considering establishing something similar to Australia’s Business Growth Fund, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:“The Government needs to stop speculating with taxpayers’ funds."“This looks eerily similar to Callaghan Innovation, which was disestablished last year because it had...
Read more about Government needs to stay away from ‘picking winners’Posted in PAPERS & BRIEFINGS by NZTU Media | May 27, 2026
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal new analysis showing that if Government spending had simply remained at the level set by Jacinda Ardern’s 2019 Wellbeing Budget — adjusted for inflation, GDP and population growth — the Crown accounts would currently be running an...
Read more about NEW REPORT: Wellbeing Budget 2026 - The $13.5 Billion Lost SurplusPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | May 21, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling for cost-benefit analysis to be made compulsory for all major government investment decisions following the release of the Helen Clark Foundation’s report Measuring What Matters.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf says:“Cost-benefit analysis should be at the heart of every major...
Read more about Helen Clark Foundation report exposes poor Government investment analysisPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | May 20, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the Ministry for Regulation’s new report The State of New Zealand’s Regulatory Systems, saying it confirms what taxpayers and businesses have long suspected: New Zealand’s public service has become an tangle of regulators, legislation, and bureaucracy.Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Tory Relf,...
Read more about Seymour’s Ministry Exposes New Zealand’s Regulatory Spaghetti Service