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REVEALED: Selwyn Council’s $30k Self-Monitoring Subscription
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal through a Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act request that Selwyn District Council is spending $27,186 a year on media monitoring.
The service, provided by STREEM, tracks mentions of the council across print, online news, television, radio, podcasts, and social media to improve “media visibility” and reporting to councillors about coverage.
Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:
“Following a 38.96 percent rates hike last term, Selwyn Council apparently needs a further $27,000 subscription to see what people are saying about it.”
“Councils will argue this is a valuable information gathering tool for spotting issues, but when they start spending ratepayer money monitoring criticism rather than fixing the issues behind it, priorities have clearly gone wrong - especially when cheaper options are available.”
“Councils should be focused on roads, pipes, and rubbish, not paying for software that effectively lets them watch themselves in the news.”
“If Selwyn and other councils want fewer negative headlines about rate hikes, the solution isn’t better monitoring software but better spending decisions. Our 103 Ways to Cut Council Waste report has plenty of ideas on where to start.”
Our 103 Ways For Councils To Save Money report can be found here
Whanganui Council Misleads Ratepayers With $120,000 Rebrand
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal further details through a Local Government Official Information and Meeting Act request that shows Whanganui District Councils rebranding work cost $116,899.12, which is $55,099 higher than the $61,800 figure initially presented to ratepayers.
Officials have also justified the rebrand by claiming the council currently uses around 20 different logos. However, many of these relate to individual council facilities and services, such as the opera house and public pools, rather than separate logos for council departments.
Taxpayers’ Union Investigations Coordinator, Rhys Hurley, said:
“The council has tried to downplay the cost of this rebranding, but the documents show the real figure ratepayers are on the hook for is far higher than what was initially put out publicly.”
“Interim Chief Executive, Barbara McKerrow, has also claims only about 20 percent of feedback was positive, but within the consultation responses, around half either broadly support keeping the coat of arms or explicitly say the change should not happen if there would be a cost.”
“The most concerning part is that councillors themselves didn't sign off the decision. We have seen this same story again and again, where major brand changes are driven by council bureaucracy rather than elected representatives.”
“Decisions about a city’s identity should not be made by unelected officials. If councils want to change, that decision should be made by elected councillors who are accountable to the community.”
Gore Councillors pile on more pain for ratepayers
The Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Gore District Council’s decision to hike rates by 11 percent without public consultation.
Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:
"Gore ratepayers have already endured a staggering 46.6 percent cumulative rates rise over the past three years. Another big rates hike without even consulting the public is total affront to local democracy and underscores the urgent need for a rates cap."
"If Gore councillors want ideas of how to save money and ease the burden on ratepayers, our report 103 Ways to Save Money in Local Government lists examples of savings across all functions of councils and is on its way to councillors across the country."
The report 103 Ways to Save Money in Local Government is available here.
ChristchurchNZ flops on jobs: Now is the time to scrap the agency
The Taxpayers’ Union is calling on Christchurch City Council to disband ChristchurchNZ after the ratepayer-funded agency spectacularly failed to deliver on its job creation promises.
Responding to reports that the City’s ratepayer-funded economic development arm has produced just a tiny fraction of the jobs it was set up to create, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:
“ChristchurchNZ was supposed to help create 500 new jobs. It has managed just 69. If that is what passes as economic development, $16.3 million of ratepayer money is being wasted on an agency that is clearly not delivering.”
“This agency has had years, millions of dollars, and every opportunity to deliver. Instead, it’s become a case study in how to burn through public money without producing meaningful results.”
“Ratepayers are being asked to tighten their belts while millions are poured into bureaucratic vanity projects with little to show for it. It’s indefensible that ChristchurchNZ continues to soak up funding while delivering so little.”
“The Council should cut its losses, wind up Christchurch NZ, and refocus on core services that residents actually rely on.”
From Rates Cap to Bed Tax, Luxon Bows to Brown
Amid reports that Prime Minister Christopher Luxon has given into pressure from Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown and agreed to consider a bed tax, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:
“Who is running this government, the Prime Minister or Wayne Brown? A fortnight ago, Brown bullied Luxon into excluding Auckland stormwater from the Government’s rates cap. Now he’s been bullied into yet another tax."
“The so-called bed tax will be disastrous for many small accommodation providers while providing a slush fund that local politicians like Wayne Brown can dip into when they run out of ratepayer money."
“In his address to LGNZ in 2024, Luxon said he was committed to getting local government back to basics. He forgot to mention that Auckland is exempt.”
Taxpayers’ Union welcomes review of Reserve Bank’s COVID-era actions
Responding to the Minister of Finance’s announcement today of an independent review into COVID-19 monetary policy, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson James Ross said the review is “long overdue”.
“The Reserve Bank pumped far too much money into the economy. The result was a surge in asset prices and the kind of inflation that has hammered households ever since.”
“When the Bank finally realised it had let the inflation genie out of the bottle, it responded with sharp rises in the Official Cash Rate. That response tipped the economy into recession: a recession the former Governor, Adrian Orr, quite publicly said was necessary.”
“But the downturn has been deeper and longer than even he appears to have anticipated.”
“A searching investigation into how the Reserve Bank assessed the situation, and how it reached its decisions, is desperately needed. The review must examine the apparent lack of coordination between monetary and fiscal policy, and recommend corrective action.”
“It also needs to scrutinise the Bank’s use of ‘alternative’ tools, including the scale, timing, and duration of those interventions.”
“The Bank brutalised the New Zealand economy to correct its own mistakes. New Zealanders are still living with the consequences of the worst Bank-induced recession in more than thirty years.”
“This cannot be a once-over-lightly desktop exercise. It must be a forensic examination that produces a practical blueprint to prevent a repeat of this economic disaster. The public deserve nothing less.”
“The review should also have the full legal powers of a government inquiry. Decision makers should be required to give evidence under oath and in public. These decisions had major, real-world impacts on New Zealanders’ lives, and transparency demands it.”
Christchurch ratepayers hit by rates cap delay
Responding to news that Christchurch City Council is proposing an 8 percent rates rise, Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said:
“Delaying the rates cap will cost ratepayers across the country, and Christchurch is no exception. Rates need capping now, not three years down the road.”
“Christchurch households are paying the price for the Government’s dilly-dallying. Another 8 percent rates hike is planned this year, on top of a staggering 24 percent increase over the past three years.
“With Local Government Minister Simon Watts postponing action until 2029, councils have every incentive to load costs onto ratepayers now and lock in a higher baseline. That doesn’t just mean higher rates this year; it means higher rates every year from here on out.”
Christchurch City Council pay restraint must go further
The Taxpayers’ Union is backing a proposal by Christchurch City councillors to freeze the pay of chief executives and directors at council-owned companies, saying it is a positive step that should now be extended more broadly across the council.
Taxpayers' Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:
“This is a constructive start, and we commend councillors willing to show restraint at the top. The Council’s chief executive has already acknowledged the pressure on ratepayers by taking a pay cut herself, and that example of frugality should now be reflected more widely across the organisation.”
“Christchurch City Council still employs more than 1,000 staff earning over $100,000 a year, including 45 paid more than a backbench Member of Parliament. As households brace for another significant rates increase, it’s fair to question whether this level of senior pay is sustainable.”
“Ratepayers are being asked to tighten their belts. It’s only reasonable that the same discipline shown by the chief executive is applied throughout senior management.”
“This isn’t about targeting individuals, it’s about priorities. With rates continuing to rise, the Council must show it is managing costs responsibly and living within its means.”
Rates Pain, Pay Gain: New Councillor Salary Increase Dashboard exposes eye-watering pay rises for councillors and mayors
The Taxpayers’ Union has today launched its Councillor Salary Increase Dashboard, exposing the staggering pay hikes many councillors and mayors across New Zealand are receiving while ratepayers struggle with a cost-of-living crisis.
According to the latest dashboard data, local councillors have accepted an average 9.81 percent annual adjustment to their pay, while mayors have seen an average jump of 8.53 percent. These increases dwarf the 2.7 percent inflation rate recorded during the 2025 financial year.
Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:
“While many Kiwis struggled to afford summer treats this year, our local councillors have had no such concerns, pocketing huge pay hikes while rates explode. It is a kick in the teeth for ratepayers who have seen their average rates bill rise by 8.39 percent in the last year.”
“These figures don’t even include the 'top-up' allowances mayors and councillors receive, such as phones, laptops, printers, mileage reimbursements for driving to work, and childcare allowances. The system is broken and designed to prevent pay from being tied to performance or outcomes.”
“Take Queenstown-Lakes District Council for example. Despite having the largest per-capita debt burden in the country and hitting ratepayers with a whopping 50.23 percent rates increase in just three years, in percentage terms its councillors are receiving the second-highest pay increase in the country this year, while the mayor's ranks ninth.”
“Councils must be given the legal option to turn down these increases so ratepayers can see who is actually serious about easing the pressure on households.”
The full Councillor Salary Increase Dashboard can be accessed at https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/pay_rise_dashboard.
The top 10 biggest increases in councillor pay are:
- Western Bay of Plenty District Council – 56.86%
- Queenstown-Lakes District Council – 33.13%
- Selwyn District Council – 31.03%
- Waimakariri District Council – 26.87%
- Porirua City Council – 26.73%
- Waipā District Council – 25.67%
- Whanganui District Council – 24.66%
- Invercargill City Council – 24.29%
- Napier City Council – 20.84%
- Tauranga City Council – 19.28%
The top 10 biggest increases in mayoral pay are:
- Mackenzie District Council – 15.02%
- Tasman District Council – 12.01%
- Wairoa District Council – 11.58%
- Central Otago District Council – 11.46%
- South Wairarapa District Council – 11.39%
- Westland District Council – 11.18%
- Hauraki District Council – 11.04%
- Marlborough District Council – 10.99%
- Queenstown-Lakes District Council – 10.83%
- Chatham Islands Council – 10.66%
Commerce Commission best placed to regulate council development levies
Responding to reports that officials are floating an interim regulator for council development levies, despite the regime not coming into force until mid-2028, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said the Government should stick with the Commerce Commission from day one.
“There’s no logic in inventing a temporary regulator when there are still two years to get this right. The Government is right to back the Commerce Commission from the outset.”
“Claims from officials that proper oversight would undermine local democracy are bizarre. Ratepayers have suffered years of cost blowouts and weak accountability. Forcing councils to properly justify how they spend other people’s money would strengthen local democracy, not weaken it.”
“The Commerce Commission already regulates complex infrastructure monopolies like electricity lines and gas pipelines. It has the expertise and credibility to design a robust, independent process for setting development levies and to keep councils honest.”
“The Government should rule out any interim regulator and confirm now that the Commerce Commission will be the permanent watchdog. If councils want ratepayers’ trust, they need real scrutiny, not another layer of bureaucratic make-believe.”