Hi Friend,

Early start today – the team are headed to National Fieldays, where we are officially launching our "Cap Rates Now!" campaign to rein in New Zealand's out-of-control councils.

We're using this week's National Fieldays to call on Local Government Minister Simon Watts to introduce Australian/UK-style rates caps to limit annual rate increases to inflation.

Rates Cap Now! We need your support – sign the petition ✍️

Across the country, the story's the same: double-digit rate hikes, councils are driving up the costs of living.

Meanwhile, ballooning staff numbers and vanity project spending see councils delivering fewer core services.

Friend, Local Government New Zealand (the lobbyists for council bureaucrats) are in Simon Watts' ear. They want to keep councils unrestrained.

I need you to take 20 seconds today to sign the petition.

With Auckland’s new property values out yesterday, many homeowners are about to be slapped with massive rate hikes. Napier ratepayers are facing a hike of 20 percent! Along with Gore, Upper Hutt, the list goes on and on. 

It’s time to put a lid on it: Cap Rates Now!

Rates cap legislation would limit annual rates increases to inflation – unless a council can get approval from local ratepayers through a local referendum.

💥 Since 2022, average council rates have gone up 34% in New Zealand, compared to 14% in the UK and just 8% in Australia.

💥 A majority of Kiwis want the choice – polling shows that nearly two-thirds support referenda for big rate hikes.

💥 Meanwhile, council spending keeps ballooning – but not on core infrastructure. Our research shows that the money is going on bloated bureaucracies (staff costs) and non-core (i.e. vanity) projects.

If you agree, enough is enough. Sign the Rates Cap Now petition at RatesCapNow.nz

Under our proposal, councils can still fund important projects – they’ll just have to justify the cost and get community backing. It’s about accountability, transparency, and putting ratepayers first.

The campaign is about protecting households, restoring trust in local government, and stopping councils from treating ratepayers like bottomless wallets.

If councils really need to spend more, they can just ask. That’s democracy.

But without a cap, nothing will change. The bills will keep piling up.

So let's build up the pressure Friend. Let’s Cap Rates Now!

Thank you for your support,

Sam Warren    Local Government Campaigns Manager    New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

ps. If you'd rather sign the petition in person, come and see us at site RM52 (inside the Rural Living Marquee) at National Fieldays.

pps. Thank you to the hundreds of supporters who have chipped in to our Local Government Fighting Fund to make this campaign possible.