Posted in NEWS by NZTU Media | October 13, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Labour leader Chris Hipkins’ support for extending the Official Information Act to cover Parliament, following a question put to him today.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:“We welcome Chris Hipkins’ backing for greater transparency and look forward to him...
Read more about BREAKING: Chris Hipkins Backs Extending the OIA to ParliamentPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | October 2, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Labour’s commitment to reform the Official Information Act, but says Rt Hon Chris Hipkins appears to have forgotten the biggest gap in New Zealand’s transparency regime.Taxpayers’ Union Investigative Lead, Rhys Hurley, said:“Chris Hipkins is right that the OIA needs...
Read more about Labour’s OIA Reform Missing One Thing: ParliamentPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | September 22, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming the Green Party’s proposal for a two-year stand-down period preventing former Ministers from immediately becoming lobbyists.Taxpayers’ Union spokeswoman, Ella Dickson, said:“Ministers shouldn’t be able to walk out of the Beehive on Friday and into a lobbying job on Monday,...
Read more about Greens right to close the Beehive-to-lobbying revolving doorPosted in NEWS by NZTU Media | March 23, 2026
The Taxpayers’ Union is welcoming Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s commitment that today’s fuel support package must not drive government debt higher.“At a time when the books are already under strain, this is a welcome sign of discipline,” Taxpayers’ Union spokesperson Tory Relf said. “It...
Read more about Luxon’s ‘no new debt’ pledge on fuel support is the right callPosted in NEWS by Al Emes | March 2, 2023
Urgency motions have increasingly been used over the past few years to enact law which bypasses the usual public consultation procedure. It’s a power that can severely undermine the integrity of our legislative process. Governments of all stripes must commit to being restrained in...
Read more about Why the Rush? – The Dangers of an Upsurge in Urgency MotionsPosted in NEWS by New Zealand Taxpayers' Union | July 25, 2014
News broke on Wednesday that Mana Party leader Hone Harawira had erected hoardings for the election which displayed the crest of the House of Representatives. This led to questions about how the hoardings had ben funded – had taxpayers’ money been used? When we questioned...
Read more about Letter to the SpeakerPosted in NEWS by New Zealand Taxpayers' Union | January 8, 2014
This morning the New Zealand Herald covered figures released by the Taxpayers' Union show that MPs are chewing through more than $65,000 per month on payouts to avoid messy employment grievances. Parliamentary Service spent nearly $400,000 on payouts for former staff in the second half of last year,...
Read more about MP employment spats costing taxpayersPosted in NEWS by New Zealand Taxpayers' Union | November 11, 2013
The Taxpayers’ Union has today welcomed the New Zealand Herald’s investigation revealing six MPs claiming $78,000 per year in taxpayer-funded subsidies for their investment properties. The Taxpayers' Union believes that taxpayers are entitled to know what personal benefits and remuneration MPs receive. The Herald reports that Simon Bridges was ‘given clear...
Read more about Secret parliamentary mortgage payments an entitlement too far