Hi Friend,

I hope you've had a great start to your week!

Like all good political "hikois", we've hit the ground in Northland for the first half dozen stops of our National Debt Clock tour calling for a balanced budget.

Friend, we raised enough from Jordan's email below to patch the damage and send our Debt Clock trailer up north on a 'test run' over the weekend. Thank you to all of those who chipped in to make it possible. Despite the wet weather (and nearly getting stuck in Northland thanks to a tree coming down in front of the truck!), thousands of Kiwis stopped to admire the Debt Clock – or express their shock – as Government debt ticks higher and higher...

Mangawhai ✅ Whangārei ✅ Kerikeri ✅ Waitangi ✅ Paihia ✅ Dargaville ✅

Next up: 👉 Auckland and the central North Island

Government debt matters because it's we taxpayers (plus our kids/grandkids!) who are left to pay the bill. The current MPs will not still be around.

On interest alone, we are already spending more on debt than we do on Primary Education each year— more than the Police, Corrections, Customs and Defence budgets, combined.

Let me be clear: Grant Robertson is responsible for the huge increases in spending and, therefore, borrowing. Nicola Willis promised to tackle what she labelled an 'addiction to spending'. But Nicola Willis continues to add more to the debt pile and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon!

A 'Hikoi' we can all get behind 🇳🇿🇳🇿🇳🇿

The 'Debt Clock Hikoi' is to raise awareness of the seriousness of the situation and to remind the Government why they were elected. But we need your support to get the clock around the country.

Will you chip in the $122 for a tank of gas, ?

We have plans to cover the central North Island over the rest of the week, but are relying on your support to both keep the show on the road and get public attention with online/social media advertising.

If you agree that continuing to rack up debt faster than Grant Robertson is not sustainable, please support our efforts here.

Friend, we both agree that New Zealand cannot afford to continue down the path Grant Robertson set for us. Support the fight and together let's get the Government to make the bold decisions they were elected to make.

Thank you for your support.

Rhys Hurley Investigations Coordinator New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

Ps. If you donate $120 or more, we'll happily pop a plaque with your name on it inside the debt clock to recognise your support in this people-powered effort to force Wellington to balance the books and 'Stop the Clock'!

From: Jordan Williams
Date: Wednesday 23 April, 10:17AM
To:
Subject: We need to sound the alarm – before it's too late ⏰

Dear Sam,

I'm writing to you because there comes a point when we need to blow the whistle and do something about the Government's lack of progress in getting back in the black.

There's no polite way to put this, but over recent months, it's become clear that unless New Zealand fundamentally changes course, we are headed towards crisis.

The public has no idea just how bad the deficit and accumulated debt is becoming.

The media are not doing their job, and once again it falls on the Taxpayers' Union to step up to the plate.

Right now, the Government is borrowing at a faster rate than when Chris Hipkins and Grant Robertson left office!

Despite all the media coverage about 'brutal cuts', it's simply not true. The numbers do not lie.

While Nicola Willis and the National/ACT/NZ First Government talk-the-talk about prudent fiscal management, their task is mammoth. In order for them to make the tough, but necessary, calls to cut wasteful (non-frontline) spending, they need the public to understand the true scale of the challenge.

And with the media working lock-step with the Opposition Parties to oppose any spending cuts – no matter how commonsense they are – we need to get to work.

Your household's share of the national debt: $92,500 (and growing!)

Right now, Nicola Willis is borrowing more than $1 million each and every hour.

Over the Easter weekend alone, the debt grew by more than one hundred million dollars.

On a per household basis, it's sobering: right now your household’s share of the debt is now more than $92,500.

And it's rocketing up... 🚀

Imagine if your household was spending more than it earns year after year. But that is exactly what the Government is doing on your behalf!

According to the 2024 Budget figures, Gross Debt per household will be $10,845 higher by the end of this financial year!

And with almost every Treasury forecast, the numbers only get worse. The recession is deeper than expected and, with economic headwinds, tax revenue declines. Nevertheless, Core Crown spending is still climbing.

The Government is already paying more in interest than it does on schools, and on Justice, combined. 🏫🚔

Sam, the interest payments on government debt are now among the largest single categories of Government expenditure. In fact, they already exceed what is spent on schools and justice, and surpass the combined budgets of Defence, Police, Corrections, and Customs.

Our plan to force Wellington to balance the books

Sam, I'm just out of a planning meeting with the whole team. Our sources in Wellington tell us that the Government Ministers know what they need to do – but can't see the political room to do so.

That's why the first step has to be raising public awareness – but we need your support to do so.

After a wet and soggy Easter indoors, the team are keen to start this long weekend with our own "Political Hikoi", of sorts. A hikoi to "Balance the Books" and Stop the Debt Clock.

Can the Taxpayers' Union count on your support, Sam?

The 2025 Debt Clock Tour: A political Hikoi calling for a Balanced Budget 😉

Sam, tens of thousands of New Zealanders saw our huge trailer-mounted National Debt Clock during the last election. Most looked at it and said "WOW".

But the Debt is now tens of billions of dollars larger. We need to get the numbers in front of hundreds of thousands of New Zealanders and get them demanding the Government to 'Stop the Clock' by balancing the books.

The Debt Clock appeared with the Debt Monster outside Parliament during the 2024 Election Campaign.

The massive Debt Clock – custom built and funded by thousands of our supporters back in 2023 – is one of the most effective ways to show New Zealanders in real time just how much Government overspending is costing us in the form of debt.

It's been parked in a paddock and is in desperate need of a spruce up (and, unfortunately, a fix to some of the electronics!). That, plus the costs to get back onto the road.

We're asking for you to chip-in so we can get the Debt Clock's inverter fixed, spruced up, and back on the road.

Your donation to fix the Debt Clock and get it back on the road🚦

Sam, every dollar donated on this page will be used to fix the Debt Clock, get it re-registered, fuel to tow it, and to cover the tour costs so we can get the numbers in the face of Kiwis around the country.

So long as we can raise the funds today and tomorrow, we're confident we can launch the tour as early as this weekend! But we need your support.

The Debt Clock needs to be back on the road and highly visible before next month's Government Budget. Can we count on your support?

Thank you for standing for Balanced Books.

Let's Stop the Clock!

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

P.S. The faster we get the Debt Clock road-ready, the sooner we can shift public opinion and open the eyes of every day Kiwis who are unaware of just how bad the public finances are. Make your confidential donation here.