Dear Friend,

We did it!! Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has just announced a six-month 20% pay cut for all central government CEOs and Ministers.

This is the result of people power

Just like the wins we clocked up with councils committing to freezing rates across the country, this victory is thanks solely to people power and the efforts of our supporters and volunteers.

The Prime Minister basically recited our campaign reasoning back to us! She told media that the measures is being taken to "acknowledge New Zealanders who are reliant on wage subsidies, are taking pay cuts, and are losing their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic."

This also sends a strong message to local government and others whose job security is assured, and wages paid by taxpayers (such as council CEOs and judges) that they too need to share the burden of the economic effects of COVID-19. We’ll be writing to them later today to ask whether they will be following suit.

But in the meantime, thank you for making this effort possible.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union