đ View Online <[link removed]> | đ Share on Facebook <[link removed]>
Hi Friend,
It's been a busy week here at the Taxpayers' Union, with Rhys and our interns out on the road continuing the "HÄŤkoi" for Balanced Budgets, and the research team prepping for the Budget in just a few weeks time.
We have the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll (spoiler alert: people don't think the country is heading in the right direction...).
But first, we start on a sad note.
đŻď¸ RIP Sir Robert Jones â A Champion for LibertyÂ
It is with sadness that on Friday we learned of the passing of Sir Robert Jones.
Sir Bob was many things: a property tycoon, political party founder, bestselling author â and never one to hold his tongue. But to us, he was also a generous supporter, a kindred spirit, and one of New Zealandâs boldest advocates for free speech and smaller government.
From his scathing critiques of bureaucratic bloat to the mischievous signs he gifted the capital (the âtoilet in 100 metersâ signs dutify pointing towards Parliament is a favourite of ours), Sir Bobâs legacy is a reminder that liberty and humour can go hand in hand.
Sir Bob stirred the pot, told the truth, and made New Zealand more interesting.
Rest in mischief, Sir Bob.
â The team @ the Taxpayersâ Union
New milestone for National Debt â°
Unnoticed by the media, just before 9pm Friday, the national debt quietly hit $190 billion (that's $93,381 per household!) - based on the most recent Treasury information release set to be updated with this month's Budget.
With more and more Kiwis getting their news and information via social media, to mark the occasion, the Taxpayers' Union has launched an X (formerly called Twitter) account to live-tweet the state of the nation's debt on the hour, every hour, 365 days of the year. <[link removed]>
The bot â created by a talented intern in between HÄŤkoi stops â uses the same NZ Treasury/Budget figures used at the official New Zealand Debt Clock website at DebtClock.nz <[link removed]>.
Read it and weep. <[link removed]>
That storm đ¨
Thank you to everyone who contributed to make the HÄŤkoi for Balanced Budgets possible. The storm may have cleared, but the fiscal storm continues! <[link removed]>
Government debt is now more than $93,500 for every household in New Zealand. And itâs growingby more than $47 million every single day (so much for the âcutsâ the media love to talk about) đ¤¨
đ¨ Next stop: the South IslandÂ
After dodging literal storms and gale-force winds, we took the message of battling Nicolaâs own (debt) storm throughout the North Island, stopping at:
đMangawhai, WhangÄrei, Kaitaia, Paihia, Kerikeri, Dargaville, Wellsford, Kaikohe, Waitangi, Hamilton, Thames, Morrinsville, Tauranga, TaupĹ, TĹŤrangi, Taumarunui, Rotorua, Feilding, Palmerston North, Levin, Paraparaumu, and Porirua.
Everywhere we went, people stopped, pointed, snapped photos â and asked: âIs the debt that big..?â âI canât believe itâs that big.â Sadly, Friend, it really is that big. đ
The Hčkoi Debt Clock is currently crossing the Cook Strait and starts the South Island leg with a stop in Christchurch tomorrow. Details are here. <[link removed]>
Friend, this campaign isnât just about big numbers. Itâs about the future our kids and grandkids inherit. Every extra million borrowed means more interest payments to overseas investors and less for the public services we enjoy.
đ See the full list of South Island stops here. <[link removed]>
NEW POLL: Coalition could form Government, but country direction back in the red â ď¸
The Government Coalition holds on to its lead in this month's Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll, dropping by a single seat compared to last month.
But the PM won't be "totally relaxed" with today's results, with an increased number of voters telling pollsters that they think the countryâs going in the "wrong direction".Â
In terms of the party vote, National is up 1.1 points to 34.6 percent while Labour is up 3.4 points to 33.2 percent. The Greens are down 1.9 points to 9.1 percent, while ACT is down to 9.5 percent (-0.5 points). New Zealand First remains on 7.4 percent while Te PÄti MÄori is down 0.4 points to 3.9 percent.Â
The projected seats for the Centre-Right is 63 â that's down 1 seat from last month. The combined seats for the Centre-Left is up 1 seat to 58.Â
On these numbers, National and ACT would still require the support of New Zealand First to form a Government.
The interesting move is in net country direction. Only 33 percent of people now think the countryâs heading in the right direction (that's down a lot: nine points since last month's poll), while 46 percent (up two points) told our pollsters the country is headed in the "wrong direction".
As Sam said on our staff call this morning: "As you stare into the Debt Clock and the the sea of red, it's difficult not to conclude that something's headed in the 'wrong direction'." Indeed!
<<See the poll results here>> <[link removed]>
Spaghetti Government: too many cooks in the cabinet? đ
Regular readers of Taxpayer Update will be familiar with the spaghetti maze of ministries exposed by a recent report by the New Zealand Initiative think tank, (we note authored too by none other than Taxpayersâ Union alum Max Salmon đ) which exposed the labyrinth of ministries and reporting lines and proving that Nicola Willis still has a lot of cleaning up to do 𧚠(read the report here <[link removed]>).
Recall this is New Zealand's lines of responsibility between Ministers, departments, and major sectors of the economy. <[link removed]>
And here is a country of roughly the same size, Norway. Notice any difference? <[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
But Christopher Luxon doesn't want the memo, telling Mike Hosking on Monday that he's "happy with the number of ministries". đ¤Ż
Put well by the New Zealand Initiative boss, Dr Oliver Hartwich:
âAs if the minister of finance should not always be automatically normally the minister also taking care of economic growth. Itâs just window dressing.â
Indeed!Â
More than 10,000 emails to the PM and Minister Watts calling for Rates Capping Law đŠ
More than any other issue, rates are cited by our supporters as the biggest driver of the cost-of-living pressure. Last year, rates increased by an average of 15 percent.
Our Local Government Campaigns Manager, Sam Warren, sounded the alarm last week to the Government, asking them to commit to rates capping â laws to limit how much your rates can be increased each year, and make Councils live within their means â just like the communities they are supposed to serve.
Friend, since Samâs message, more than 10,000 emails have been sent to the Minister and Prime Minister <[link removed]> telling them to stay firm and cap council rate hikes. Clearly, people are fed up and want a return to the basics: pipes, roads and rubbish.Â
If you've not already, please take a moment to add your name and email the PM and Minister of Local Government using our tool here. <[link removed]>
<[link removed]>
A lot more to come on this campaign â and other work we're doing to improve and curtail local council costs. Keep an eye out once the dust settles on the Budget in two week's time.
Ex-PMs are taking taxpayers for a ride? đđ¨
When most of us move on from a job, we're expected to hand back the company car, right? Well, not so much with former PMs, who as it turns out, not only get a gold-plated pension, but also brand-new, taxpayer-funded cars!
Our research team has found that since 2017, nearly $310,000 has been spent on âFormer Prime Ministers Travel Servicesâ entitlements: $296,009.87 on the cars themselves, and another $14,061.99 on fuel and maintenance.
The only ones who turned down the offer? John Key, who declined the 'entitlement' (good on you, Sir John!), and Chris Hipkins (who didnât last long enough to qualify).
Cultural Impact Assessment for a [checks notes] public loo đ¤Ś
Our young research interns often uncovered, errrr, crap from Councils â and sometimes we have to tell them that that not every overpriced public toilet is worth highlighting by the Taxpayers' Union.
But the costs of a Far North public lav has a strange odour. The Council spent more than $150,000 on one public toilet in Kerikeri â with $30,000 eaten up by compliance and red tape alone!
The thirty grand was made up of $5,000Â for a Cultural Impact Assessment from local Hapu, $5,198 for an Archeological Research Survey and Assessment work, and a further $19,732 on various consents, project management and monitoring!
$150,000 for a loo involving consultants, cultural monitors, and bureaucratic sign-offs. This is why we can't have nice things and reasonable rates.
If only the Far North District Council could provide facilities for relief, not money flushing.
Thanks for your support,
<[link removed]>
James Ross
Policy & Public Affairs Manager
New Zealand Taxpayersâ Union
In the Media:
Stuff Live: Hundreds of thousands spent on cars for former PMs <[link removed]>
NZ Herald Taxpayers' Union debt clock hčkoi hits Tauranga <[link removed]>
NZ Herald High-profile business Sir Bob Jones has died <[link removed]>
Stuff'Spending money like drunken sailors': Critics fume over council's $200K video spend <[link removed]>
Bassett, Brash and HideNew Zealand's Constitutional Crisis: Where to for Treaty Principles? <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZB Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast 5th May, 2025 <[link removed]>
The Valley Profile Giant clock displays NZ debt <[link removed]>
Cambridge NewsUnion Clocks In <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBThe Huddle: Should we take Trump's more outrageous statements seriously? <[link removed]>
Sky News AustraliaTrumpâs film tariffs a âkick in the gutsâ to Australian film industry <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBHeather du Plessis-Allan Drive Full Show Podcast 7th May, 2025 <[link removed]>
Newstalk ZBKerry Woodham Mornings: James Ross on the government's use of urgency for the pay equity law <[link removed]>
New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc. ¡ 117 Lambton Quay, Level 4, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
This email was sent to
[email protected]. To change your email preferences, click here <[link removed]>.
Authorised by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union, Level 4, 117 Lambton Quay, Wellington 6011.