The Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that disgraced Waikato Regional Councillor Robert Cookson – one of the so-called ‘Rates Control Team’ who u-turned on his pre-election pledge just six months into the job – has put himself forward for selection to stand as a New Zealand First candidate.

Jordan Williams, a spokesman for the Taxpayers’ Union, said:

“Robert Cookson is a man in politics for pure self-interest. He’s proven to voters his contempt for democracy by failing to keep his word. And now that he's cooked his goose in local government, he's greasing up to NZ First for another gig.”

“Unlike the Rates Control Team, NZ First is a party of conviction and integrity. NZ First must not let this turncoat sneak into the party.”

“The Taxpayers’ Union would certainly ensure local voters are aware of Mr Cookson’s record in local government should he run for Parliament. The billboards would write themselves.”

Responding to reports that Waitaki District Council considered but rejected consulting ratepayers on a 9 percent rates increase option, instead only presenting options of 19-45 percent, Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said:

“Waitaki ratepayers have already been smashed with a 34.8 percent rates hike over the last three years, now they are being asked to choose between increases of 19, 27, or 45 percent. While budget adjustments are unavoidable in Waitaki in order to fulfil their water delivery requirements, efficiencies could still be found elsewhere. It’s not mandated that they have to increase rates, it’s mandated that they have to invest more in their water infrastructure."

"Even so, the real scandal is that Council apparently knew there was still a lower option and chose not to put it to the public. According to unconfirmed minutes reported by the Otago Daily Times, the reason was that ‘the 9% increase might be more popular with the community but would leave less financial flexibility’. In other words: don’t ask ratepayers, because they might pick the cheaper option.”

“Minister Watts cannot keep pretending this is a problem for 2029. He has created exactly the wrong incentive. By announcing a rates cap but delaying it until 2029, he has effectively told councils to get their hikes in now. If the Minister is serious about protecting ratepayers, he should bring the cap forward and stop councils using the next three years as a last-chance spending spree."

“The Taxpayers’ Union will be writing to Minister Watts inviting him onto Taxpayer Talk to defend why ratepayers should wait until 2029 while councils like Waitaki race to lock in double-digit hikes.”

The 2026 Ratepayers’ Report – the local council league tables – shows that among New Zealand’s biggest urban councils, staffing costs have become a major burden on households.  

While Auckland runs the country’s largest council machine in absolute terms, three other councils stand out for punishingly high staffing costs per household. Tauranga is costing households $2,047 in staff spending alone, Hamilton City $1,955, and Wellington City $1,919. 

Across the five councils, at least 324 council staff are paid more than $200,000 a year, with 88 paid $256,800 - more than a Government minister (outside of cabinet). 

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Josh Van Veen said: 

"At a time when families are cutting back, councils are asking ratepayers to fund ever-larger payrolls and management structures."

"For households feeling the pressure of high rates, these figures confirm exactly what they have long suspected: too much of their money is being swallowed by council staffing costs before a single pothole is filled."

"Wellington, Hamilton, and Tauranga lead the pack on a per-household basis. Auckland may spread its costs across a bigger base, but it still runs a vast bureaucracy that would make even Wellington blush."

"These figures suggest that the idea of 'public service' appears to have disappeared from local government. In some small towns now, the best paid jobs are at the local council. That's not sustainable."

"Local councils often claim that rates hikes are needed to fund infrastructure. But time and time again, the extra money goes on staffing. That is why capping rates to inflation is overdue."
 

NOTABLE FINDINGS 

• Tauranga is the most staffing-expensive of the metro councils on a per-household basis, with staff costs of $2,047 per household. 

• Wellington has the densest workforce, at 19.3 FTE per 1,000 households, and the highest consultant-and-contractor spend per household at $736 per household. 

  • This is 28 percent more than second-placed Hamilton City Council, which spent $575 per household. 
  • Christchurch refused to declare their contractor cost, but spent $72,416,538 on consultants, at $436.20 per household. 

• Hamilton is the most top-heavy structurally, with 26.8 percent of staff in management/comms roles. 

• Auckland ratepayers are not just funding services; they are propping up a bureaucracy with 948 managers and 77 communications staff. 

The Taxpayers’ Union is demanding that Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith explain how the Council spent $10,000 of ratepayer money in responding to an official information request for his credit card spending.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, Josh Van Veen, said:

“Councillor Hayden Fitzgerald has done Palmerston North ratepayers a service by forcing Mayor Smith to release the details of his credit card spending.”

“While residential rates have gone up 25 percent under Mayor Smith, he has been busy racking up thousands of dollars on flights, accommodation and hospitality – including $1,000 per month on booze.”

“But the real outrage is the $10,000 that Palmerston North City spent on compiling Councillor Fitzgerald’s request. The ratepayers are owed both an explanation and a full breakdown of this cost."

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is slamming Waikato Regional Council after being blocked from speaking at Thursday's meeting on whether the council should resign from Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ).

Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Rhys Hurley, said:

“Waikato Regional councillors are preparing to vote on whether to keep funding LGNZ, yet they’ve refused to hear from ratepayer advocates calling for withdrawal. That’s not democracy, that’s ducking scrutiny.”

“The Rates Control Team were elected on a manifesto policy promises to leave the group - which has conveniently been scrubbed from their website. Ratepayers shouldn’t be forced to fund a lobby group that's often pushes for more spending and wanted to campaign against the proposed rates cap.”

“It’s deeply concerning that some councillors now appear more worried about protecting their own positions than delivering on commitments to reduce waste. That’s not what voters signed up for and LGNZ is not going to save these members from the upcoming local government reorganisation.”

“If councillors are confident in their decision to stay in LGNZ, they should be willing to front up and hear opposing views. Shutting down debate only strengthens the case that this membership doesn’t stack up.”

“We urge councillors to vote in the interests of ratepayers and fulfil their promise to pull out of LGNZ.”

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 

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.”

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. 

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.”

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.”