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Hi Friend.

This will be the last time you'll hear from me as Head of Campaigns – it is with a heavy heart I'm letting you know that this is my last week at the Taxpayers' Union (see the very end of this email). But first...

Exposed: Councils hiking rates at more than 3X inflation

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This week, we launched the 2024 Rates Dashboard <[link removed]>, to compare your council's proposed rates hike with those of others around New Zealand. Click here to see how your council compares. <[link removed]>

But make sure you're sitting down. The short point is our councils are out of control. We've uncovered that the average for city and district councils is an eye-watering 14 percent hike this year – and that’s on top of the 15 percent rate hikes at regional councils.

Central government cost-cutting is only half the battle. Town halls need to catch up with economic reality and trim back office fat, can pet projects, and focus on core services.

And before you hear the squeals from Local Government New Zealand about 'needing' more money for infrastructure, when we've looked at growth in local government in previous years, we've found that at nearly every council, the proportion of spending going to capital items (roads, pipes, pumps, etc.) has actually been reducing compared to the proportion going to operating expenses (i.e. staff payroll and back-office bureaucracy). 

Our policy wonk, James, was on Radio NZ on Monday talking about our findings. <[link removed]>

But it's not just local government getting its priorities wrong...

Adrian Orr's latest pet project: Digital cash

Remember when Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr, spent $400,000 on a sculpture of Tānē Mahuta <[link removed]>? Or when he decided a key function of the Reserve Bank was fighting climate change <[link removed]>? How about when he spent $100,000 on a rebrand? <[link removed]> Let's not forget his $6000 per household loss on his failed LSAP scheme. <[link removed]>

Well in all his genius, Mr Orr has decided his latest pet project is to create digital cash for New Zealand <[link removed]>. What?! Isn't this essentially what the private sector banks are already providing?

Do you really trust the man who has failed to keep inflation within its target band for 37 months in a row to complete such a project without costing taxpayers an arm and a leg, let alone deliver something that is actually safe, secure and useable?

We say government-backed digital cash isn't needed when the private sector already has plenty of options. <[link removed]> And with the Governor failing at his actual job, he is hardly in a position to be taking on more responsibility. 

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We've launched a petition calling on the Reserve Bank to scrap their strange digital cash project <[link removed]> before they get it off the ground and end up costing taxpayers even more (real) money. 

Speaking of the Reserve Bank...

Last week, the Reserve Bank was boasting on its LinkedIn page about how their staff spent the day doing arts and crafts and playing games in celebration of Matariki.



Long-time Taxpayers' Union supporter and central bank critic, Damien Grant put it best: 

'Cool. If you can get back to a focus on inflation, that would be great.'







✍️ >> Say no Adrian Orr's Digital Cash << ✍️ <[link removed]>

A shopping list of savings for Nicola Willis

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While scrapping Adrian Orr's digital cash fantasy is an obvious area to start, we've responded to Nicola Willis' request for suggestions of areas where she should be making savings.

A small sample of the numerous savings we suggested included:

- Refocusing the Health Research Council on... actual health research. <[link removed]>


- Focusing the Marsden Grant <[link removed]> on hard science.


- Scrapping film and video game subsidies <[link removed]>


- Ending the endless funnel of money into Kiwirail <[link removed]>


- Abolishing Fees Free University <[link removed]> middle-class welfare


- Ending the rort that is corporate welfare dressed up as climate action for our largest companies <[link removed]>



Plus many many more suggestions. The savings are ripe for the picking if Minister Willis simply takes a peek under the hood. Many of the suggestions aren't at all controversial and most New Zealanders wouldn't even notice the funding had stopped. 

Our full letter to Nicola Willis can be read here. <[link removed]>

Minister Willis has graciously agreed to meet with your humble Taxpayers' Union to go over these initiatives in more detail. If you have any additional ideas you'd like the team to bring up, feel free to reply to this email and we'll add them to the list. 









Paul Goldsmith's shakedown of Meta for his media mates

More than 6,000 New Zealanders have already used our tool to email Paul Goldsmith telling him to ditch Willie Jackson's media bill. <[link removed]>

Last year, National spoke strongly against Willie Jackson's media bill in Parliament <[link removed]>. Melissa Lee slammed it as "effectively another tax", "a shakedown" and that it's an "ideological thing" because Willie Jackson "wants to support his mates in the media."

Who's supporting whom now? 

<[link removed]>Watch National's pre-election comments on the Bill here <[link removed]>

"People in New Zealand can't see this content" 

If Paul Goldsmith and Willie Jackson have their way, you'd better get used to reading messages like this. As it turns out, the media were the ones who benefited most from links to news stories being shared on sites. So when they tried to get help from politicians to shakedown likes of Facebook, the tech giant simply pulled the ability to access news. 

This is what users see in Canada if a news item appears on their Facebook feed:



Our new Communications Officer, Alex Emes, lived this firsthand in Canada before moving to New Zealand – seeing the disastrous effects of a similar law change there led by one Justin Trudeau.

He has issued a warning to New Zealand, and points out that Willie Jackson got the mad idea from the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau (and it didn't work out there). <[link removed]>

<[link removed]>Watch Alex's video here. <[link removed]>

NZ Initiative on Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill

<[link removed]>Our friends down the road at the NZ Initiative think tank have also done a short report on the Fair Digital News Bargaining Bill <[link removed]>. Key aspects include:

- News companies wishing to block search engine indexation can do so easily. A simple robots.txt file stops search engines from indexing sites. Paywalls can prevent those who have not paid from viewing a site’s content. Blocking platforms’ access is relatively simple. Why have news publishers not done so?


- International research showing that digital platforms, overall, do more to benefit news firms by increasing their reach than they might do to harm news firms when some platform users substitute platforms’ snippets of news rather than paying for the newspaper.


- When those who want news decide which outlets to support with their subscription dollars, news outlets face a market test. If the test instead depends on a political or bureaucratic allocation process, worse outcomes may be obtained


- As in Canada, small and independent outlets are likely to be most harmed if Meta blocked links to news rather than be subject to compelled bargaining


- Entrenching existing players and business models by throttling smaller independent outlets would stifle innovation and new entrants in the media market


- Forcing payments for links and snippets undermines the open nature of the web


- If there is a public interest case for supporting journalism, it would be more transparent and economically efficient to do so through direct subsidies rather than forced transfers from one sector to another.



If you agree it’s a bad law media bailout that should not be progressed, click here to email the decision makers <[link removed]>.



Taxpayer Talk – MPs in Depth with Tanya Unkovich🎙️🎧

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This week on Taxpayer Talk,Connor sat down with new New Zealand First MP, Tanya Unkovich. <[link removed]>

Tanya was elected on the New Zealand First Party list at the 2023 General Election. Tanya is a seasoned public speaker, published author, life and business coach, and started her career as an accountant. 

Tanya shares her experiences of her early life and upbringing, her significant challenges, and overcoming her grief before eventually using her story to help others in their own lives. Having built a strong personal brand prior to entering Parliament, Tanya shares why she decided to enter the crazy world of politics and what she wants to achieve during her time as an MP. 

Listen to the episode on our website <[link removed]> | Apple Podcasts <[link removed]>, | Spotify <[link removed]> | iHeart Radio <[link removed]>


So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu 👋🏻

After two years with the Taxpayers' Union, the time has come for me to move on so this will sadly be my last Taxpayer Update. I'm excited to be moving to a new role as General Manager of one of the governing parties.

The Taxpayers' Union is a workplace like no other. Where else do you end up just a few weeks into the job finding yourself in a tuxedo in the heart of the nation's Parliament buildings handing out golden pig statuettes for government waste to, of all people, the Reserve Bank Governor? <[link removed]>

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I've loved working at the Taxpayers' Union and fighting on your behalf for Lower Taxes, Less Waste and More Accountability. One of the best parts of this job is getting out and about and meeting supporters like you on our roadshows, at our debates, and at Fieldays and agricultural shows around the country.

We've achieved a lot together over the past two years, Friend. We stopped Three Waters, Central Planning Committees, Auckland Light Rail, Let's Get Wellington Moving, 'Fair' Pay Agreements, Income Insurance, the Ute Tax, and much more. And that's in large part down to you and our 200,000 supporters. These wins have been thanks to people power and every event you attend, petition you sign, submission you make, and social media post you share makes the difference.

The new Government's a lot better than the last one, but it's not perfect. There are countless lobby groups arguing for more money to protect the albino snail. But there's only one group standing up for those who pay for it: You, me and every other taxpayer across the country. And that's why the Taxpayers' Union is just important now as ever.

As Jordan constantly reminds the staff though: You can't save the world if you can't keep the lights on. So, if you'll indulge me in my last missive to make one final ask of you. If you like what we do, please consider making a confidential and secure donation. <[link removed]>





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Thanks again for all that you do and for all your support over the past two years. It's been a blast.

Connor will be holding the fort for the next few weeks.

Yours aye,









Callum Purves
Head of Campaigns
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union







Media Mentions:

Newstalk ZB The Mike Hosking Breakfast: Full Show Podcast: 12 July 2024 [20:50] <[link removed]>

NZ City Chris Luxon's taken a leap as preferred Prime Minister -- according to a Taxpayers' Union Curia poll <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZB THE RE-WRAP: How to Silence Your Critics [4:00] <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZB National, Luxon surge as Labour tumbles in new poll <[link removed]>

The Post Labour’s support drops in latest Taxpayers' Union poll <[link removed]>

Stuff Labour down, and more good news for Christopher Luxon, in latest poll <[link removed]>

The Country Barry Soper talks to Jamie Mackay <[link removed]> [1:20]

RNZNational, Luxon make gains in TPU-Curia poll <[link removed]>

Otago Daily Times National, Luxon make gains in latest poll <[link removed]>

Stuff Masterton fares best in region for rates rises <[link removed]>

RNZ The Panel with Paula Penfold and Ben Thomas (Part 2) <[link removed]> [8:42]

Rural News 'Science' spend <[link removed]>

Greymouth Star Westland rates among steepest in NZ [Print only]

Greymouth Star Coast’s cheapest, dearest rates revealed [Print only]



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