Dear Friend,

I'm sorry to email you after 5 o'clock on a Friday, but what hit my inbox a few hours ago cannot wait.

Earlier today, the Taxpayers' Union was tipped off about a series of secret meetings Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and councils are having to plan a full frontal attack ratepayers – with your own money!

We've uncovered a secret LGNZ memorandum sent to councils that proposes a massive ratepayer-funded nation-wide political and PR campaign blitz to defeat our "Cap Rates Now" campaign.

It is absolutely shameless, . I'm emailing to urgently ask ratepayers to tell their local council to overrule LGNZ at its AGM in two week's time.

LGNZ caught red-handed! 🤨

In short, LGNZ want to use ratepayer money to fight a policy they know ratepayers support!

LGNZ have always denied that they're a ratepayer funded political group acting against the interests of ratepayers. But as you're about to see, now we know the truth, in their own words.

Here are some highlights of the memo (click 'load image' if you can't see).

Playing politics with ratepayer money 🤬

Friend, this has to be a new low for LGNZ—but is not surprising.

You might also remember that LGNZ led the charge on Nanaia Mahuta's undemocratic and highly divisive Three Waters campaign, again—using (you guessed it) ratepayer money to fund the whole thing!

LGNZ are highly politicised and intrinsically linked through their highly activist staff to the Labour Party and the Greens – who are also against rates capping! 🤬

Friend – you really couldn't make this up – in the very same memo which proposes a "strong public campaign" (their words) they call accusations of LGNZ being politicised as "misinformation"! It states (my highlighting):

The consequences of being louder

We also need to consider what political consequences might result from strongly and vocally opposing rates capping. Misinformation about LGNZ’s political neutrality already exists.

You can read the whole document over on our website.

Is this even legal? 🙅‍♂️

LGNZ's propaganda plan isn't just cringeworthy, it's morally wrong. 

Friend, we're seeking legal advice on this. Based on previous rulings from the Auditor General about ratepayer resources not being allowed to be used for political campaigning, we could possibly challenge this.

But as we saw with Three Waters, LGNZ just don't care. They know that legal action will take years – and they would probably be OK with the delay! And with infinite resources, we have to be strategic.

LGNZ brag that they have "successfully opposed" rates capping before.

We can't let them win again. 👊

The memo boasts that "LGNZ successfully opposed a similar proposal [to rates capping] in 2009." They also talk about learning lessons from Australian states about how to undermine rates capping efforts.

This is why LGNZ have been literally wining-and-dining Local Government Minister Simon Watts. They are desperately trying to influence his stance on rates capping.

In two weeks LGNZ councils will be asked to vote on whether to proceed with this major ratepayer-funded PR campaign against capping rates.

Tell me you're not going to take that lying down, Friend.

Tell your local Council to vote against LGNZ's outrageous proposal.

> Click here to send your local councillors an email <

Our Cap Rates Now petition is closing in on 30,000. Our polling shows that capping rates has the public's overwhelming support.

LGNZ knows very well they are misusing ratepayer money, but want to do it anyway to 'protect' the ability of councils to hike rates to whatever they like.

📩 Tell councils to vote 'NO!' on LGNZ's attack on ratepayers 📩

Letting them use ratepayers' money to screw ratepayers is beyond the pale. Now is the time to act, will you send a message?

Thanks for stepping up, .

Sam Warren    Local Government Campaigns Manager    New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

Ps. Some councils (like Auckland and Christchurch) have pulled out of LGNZ's expensive membership, mostly due to LGNZ's highly politicised stances. If your council is not a member, you can email LGNZ directly here and, on principle, demand rates aren't used to lobby against ratepayers.