The Taxpayers’ Union is calling out Tasman District Council for treating family pets like major infrastructure projects, after a local dog owner was slapped with a jaw-dropping $1,400 fee for a resource consent just to keep three dogs on his property.

“In Tasman, puppies now need planning permission,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson, Tory Relf.

“Since when did the council decide dogs are a consenting activity? What’s next – building consent for a kennel? LIM reports on Labradors?”

"According to RNZ, the owner was shocked to learn that having more than two dogs on her lifestyle block required a process usually reserved for housing developments or sewage treatment plants."

“We love dogs, but this policy’s gone walkies. A council that thinks someone needs to file paperwork and fork out over a grand just to give a home to a pup needs to have its head checked, preferably by a vet.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is urging Tasman District Council to roll over on this ridiculous regulation.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request that Tauranga City Council has spent a total of $67,739 on decorative artwork for a single bus stop with $50,000 or 73.8 percent of the cost on design alone.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:

“This is another case of councils treating ratepayers like an open chequebook. Nearly $70,000 on a single piece of bus stop art is absurd.”

“You could buy a new car for what they spent on artwork at a bus stop. Worse still, most of it went on ‘design’ not materials, not installation, but presumably someone sketching it out at a desk.”

"All this comes the same week the Council also celebrated the opening of its brand-new $45 million headquarters, as residents brace for a 9.9 percent rates rise."  

“The pattern is clear: the culture of waste will continue until councils are forced to live within their means. We need Rates Capping Now!"

The Taxpayers’ Union has welcomed ACT’s announcement that its local candidates will oppose council-level emissions policies, calling it a needed step to rein in wasteful spending and refocus councils on core services. 

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman James Ross said:

“Under the Emissions Trading Scheme, emissions are already capped nationally. Local climate plans don’t cut a single gram of net emissions - they just burn through ratepayers’ money for no environmental gain.”

“Rates were hiked 15 percent on average last year. The last thing cash-strapped ratepayers need is councils wasting money on ineffective, virtue-signalling red tape and climate strategies.”

“Councils should stick to their knitting and focus on delivering what they can actually control: roads, pipes and rubbish. If they won’t get back to basics, then ratepayers are right to go one step further and demand tools like rates capping to force them to.”

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request that Rotorua Lakes Council—via its Council Controlled Organisation, RotoruaNZ—forked out $93,985 on a television campaign featuring Mayor Tania Tapsell.

The ‘Robe Trip’ campaign, targeting luxury-seeking Auckland couples, cost $42,784 to produce and a further $51,201 to broadcast.

Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator Rhys Hurley said:

“RotoruaNZ may claim no general rates were used in this production. Yet the targeted business rate means local business already struggling to keep doors open are forced to foot the bill.”

“The campaign was subject to no fewer than 15 rounds of meetings between the agency, Council board, and Mayor’s office.”

“For a city battling infrastructure issues and crime, the time and money spent on this puff piece shows how warped Council priorities have become."

“This campaign might be dressed in a robe, but it’s ratepayer exploitation, plain and simple. RotoruaNZ should be focusing on delivering value, not puff pieces for the Mayor’s profile.”

A mega-merger between Wellington councils is being considered for a non-binding referendum that would combine the services and functions for the five authorities.

“Remember that big council doesn’t mean good council. What we got in Auckland was a cautionary tale; more bureaucracy and empire-building.” said Sam Warren, Local Government Campaigns manager for the Taxpayers’ Union.

“Closer collaboration between neighbouring councils to share costs and service delivery, in order to reduce the burden on ratepayer per capita, is always to be encouraged. Economies of scale is no promise—would this be the exception?”

“Work done by the Infrastructure Commission points towards diminishing returns once a population meets a certain threshold, suggesting that efficiencies from amalgamation are likely captured at relatively modest scales."

“The five councils can barely function by themselves; do we just trust them to ‘make it work’ when they’re inflated even more?”

“If a referendum is to take place, it’s essential that locals are front and centre—the risks and drawbacks are too expensive to get this wrong.”

The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act that submissions collected from schoolchildren were given to Selwyn District Councillors to guide their decisions, as part of Waikirikiri Ki Tua, the Future Selwyn Survey.

Officials have acknowledged that some responses from the children may have been included in the wider dataset, meaning Councillors did not know which information had been supplied by adults, and which had been supplied by children—some as young as seven years old.

Sam Warren, Taxpayers’ Union Local Government Campaigns Manager, said:

“Pretty childish stuff from Council, and Mayor Broughton is already in the naughty corner for his 14.9 percent rates increase last year—with more to follow. Maybe they all need to go back to school themselves.”

“I’m sure the colouring books were a fun exercise, but let's get real, Selwyn is in dire need of adults making the decisions, not children.”

“It’s completely irresponsible to include a seven year-old’s response alongside a local ratepayer on important Council decisions. Unless the kids wrote down their feedback with crayons, councillors won’t know the difference between a child’s input from an adult’s.”

“Either Council is deliberately screwing the scrum to push through policy—or they actually believe a Year 3 student could possibly have an informed opinion on things like infrastructure, housing, and services.”

“Selwyn Council needs to start taking advice from grownups, otherwise the district will keep feeling like a playground. Ratepayers won’t quickly forget this when local body elections come round.”

Tauranga City Council has confirmed a 9.9 percent rates increase. Council has cited savings found that has led to a lower rise than the 12 percent proposed, and the 20 percent originally projected.

“9.9 percent is not a victory—and councillors should not be patting themselves on the back for a rates increase only slightly less extreme than 12 percent.” said Sam Warren, Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union.

“On top of last year’s 13.1 percent increase, it’s a cumulative rates rise of more than 24 percent in just two years. That’s simply not affordable.”

“Have we lost sight of what a ‘normal’ rates increase might be that this is somehow palatable?”

“It’s good to reduce the rise, but much more work needs to be done. Mayor Drysdale claims he has found ‘savings’—but there is not shortage of opportunities to go further, starting with the $125 million lease for Councils’ new offices, or $450,000 coffee machines rentals.”

The Taxpayers’ Union is congratulating Whanganui District Council for delivering what may be the lowest rates increase in the country — just 2.2 percent for 2025/26 — at a time when most councils are hitting ratepayers with double-digit hikes.

“This is what responsible local government looks like,” says Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf.

“While other councils cry poor, Whanganui is showing leadership — sticking to the basics, tightening its belt, and putting ratepayers first.”

“Whanganui has proved it’s possible to balance the books without hammering households. Other councils should take note.”

Responding to news that Wellington City Council’s consultant costs have more than doubled since 2020, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman Sam Warren said:

“This is incredibly insulting as a 12.0 percent rates increases has just been announced—on top of last year’s 16.9 percent hike. That’s more than a 30.9 percent compound increase to average rates in just two years.”

“Shedding a few roles just to replace them with overpaid consultants and higher paid bureaucrats on six-figure salaries isn’t saving. When’s it going to stop?”

“Claims made by Council that these higher salary and wage costs are reflected by ‘increased investment and delivery of services’ are a complete joke. Wellington locals need less waste and more efficiency from Council—and they’re getting the exact opposite.”

“It’s not rocket science. Council is making Wellington more expensive to live in. Cut the wasteful spending, learn to run lean, and get on with it—otherwise there won’t be anyone left in the city to pay your exorbitant wages.”

Environment Southland has supported the investigation for a ‘mega merger’ with its three other Southland councils that would see two unitary authorities emerge.

“Looking closer into how councils can better work together and reduce costs for the ratepayer is priority number one” said Sam Warren, Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union.

“Any genuine effort to reduce the burden on ratepayers is a good thing. But let’s not pretend big council automatically translates to better council. Auckland’s Super City is case in point, where the only result was greater bureaucracy and empire-building.”

"Collaboration has been done effectively elsewhere, like between Manawatū and Whanganui councils, where better efficiencies have been found as well as cost sharing."

“Change for the sake of change is not the solution. Proceed with caution and keep the local community involved in every aspect of the process.”