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Hi Friend,

This week, we reveal the nation’s most popular metro mayor (hint: it’s not Wellington's Tory Whanau…), take a look at rising inflation (sexy subject, we know) and expose the apps costing you/taxpayers up to $18 per download.

Waikato Ratepayers Stitched Up – Council Re-Joins LGNZ 😱💸

Just weeks after Waikato Regional Council voted to leave the highly politicised Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ), councillors have shamefully reversed course by voting to rejoin the secretive, ratepayer-funded lobby group.

LGNZ exists to promote the interests of councils (not ratepayers!), is notorious for its misuse of ratepayers money to, well, opposing ratepayer friendly policies, and enjoys a special carve-out from freedom of information laws. It literally spends millions of ratepayer money lobbying for even more power and cash for local government bureaucrats.

Earlier this month, Waikato Regional Council voted to walk away from LGNZ’s $122,000 annual bill – citing its “lack of relevance” and “left-wing activism”. But pro-LGNZ councillors, led by Cr Stuart Kneebone, didn’t like losing.

Cr Kneebone, along with none other than Nanaia Mahuta's sister (who seems to have slept through errr, missed the first vote – even though it appears she was at the relevant meeting), forced a second go.

This week's re-vote ended in a 7–7 tie. Ordinarily, that would mean the status quo stands – i.e. the Council remains out. But in a disgraceful move, Council Chair Pamela Storey (a former LGNZ insider!) used her casting vote to overrule the previous decision and force the re-join.

Storey’s excuse? That because the Council used to be a member, the “status quo” meant re-joining – even though it had already voted to leave!

You couldn't make up the skulduggery.

This kind of grubby politics is exactly why LGNZ’s credibility is shot – and why ratepayers are fed up.



We’re not letting this go. These councillors have handed LGNZ a victory (and six figures) – so we’ll be reminding Waikato locals which politicians sided with Wellington’s lobbyists over their own communities at this year's elections.

📣 Help us hold them to account – donate to the Local Government Fighting Fund. <[link removed]>

The nation’s favourite mayors revealed ⭐️

Major City results: Christchurch's "Mr Rates Caps" Mauger comes out on top 😇

Christchurch City Mayor Phil Mauger has taken the top spot as the country’s most popular metropolitan mayor – after a massive 19 point surge this quarter according to polling commissioned by the Taxpayers' Union.



Is it a coincidence that the surge came after Mayor Phil publicly backed rates capping? We think not.

Ratepayers are more conscious than ever that their community leaders have a direct impact on how much money is left in their pockets each week.

All in all, everyone's a winner this poll (if you’re a metro mayor) 🥳

Looking outside of Christchurch, Auckland’s Mayor Wayne Brown remains steadily well-liked, no doubt thanks to the fourth-lowest rates hikes in the country over the last three years.

And even Tory Whanau has seen a boost to her approval rating since announcing she'd step aside. No comment needed... 👀

Mayoral approval for the rest of New Zealand - who's popular, who's not? 🤔

Waimakariri's Dan Gordon tops the overall polls this time, with a net approval rating of 41 percent. Kaipara's Craig Jepson (+35 percent) and Far North's Moko Tepania (+34 percent) follow closely behind in second and third.



Eight of the top ten favourite mayors lead councils with single-figure rates increases this year.

On the flipside, seven of the least popular mayors' councils have had above-average rates rises this term. As the cost-of-living crisis keeps biting, that shouldn't be a surprise.

Friend, our advice is that any candidate looking to boost their appeal going into this year’s local election might do well to follow the likes of Phil Mauger and Dan Gordon’s examples by putting ratepayers' needs front-and-centre.

Groundhog Day: Inflation pushed up by rates (again) 📈

It is no surprise that low-rates mayors are consistently higher in our polling.

New inflation data this week revealed that the 2.7 percent annual inflation rate was pushed up by rates hikes, as revealed this week by Stats NZ.

This isn’t a new phenomenon, Friend.

Last year, more than half of the Q3 inflation spoke came from council rates alone. And with more rates hikes kicking in this month, we’d expect more inflation pain next quarter too.

It’s a vicious cycle. Councils hike rates, that drives up inflation, which delays interest rate cuts, and households get squeezed from both ends.

The message is clear, Friend: councils won’t stop unless they’re made to. Capping rates is no longer just a nice idea, it’s essential if we want to get inflation down and take pressure off Kiwi households.

That’s why, despite last week’s successes outside the LGNZ conference, you’ll continue to see us push for rates caps now. The battle is nearly over, but we can’t let councils win at the eleventh hour.

EXPOSED: The Te Reo app free-for-all taking over government 😱



The Taxpayers' Union investigations team have been asking questions about the raft of mobile apps owned and run by various government departments and local councils. 

Seven different departments and councils spent a combined $218,012 developing their own separate Māori language and cultural training apps – despite the existence of a national Māori Language Commission and multiple taxpayer-funded training programmes already in place.

And were these apps wildly popular? The short answer – and one that really will not surprise you – is: no.

In fact, one such app, developed by Waikato Regional Council, cost more than $35,000 and reached fewer than 2,000 people. That’s nearly $18 of ratepayers’ money spent per user.

You can read the various Official Information Act responses here. <[link removed]>

And these are just the apps we know about, Friend. Imagine how many more are out there that haven’t come through our tip line <[link removed]>!

What is wrong with having a centralised platform for the public service instead of a wasteful agency-by-agency approach? Or what about departments focusing on core business, rather than trying to out-do each other procuring apps for the same purpose as apps that already exist. Would that really be so complicated?

As ever, thanks for your support Friend,

<[link removed]>

Have a great weekend.




Tory Relf
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union


ps. To see the full breakdown of the mayoral polling, visit our website <[link removed]>. And if you want to see what our policy guys had to say, James's analysis is here <[link removed]>.





























In the Media:

Hawke's Bay Today The Rates Crisis - a canny view for New Zealand <[link removed]>

InterestCouncil rates will continue to increase over the next few years - but not as rapidly, ANZ economists say <[link removed]>

RNZAround the motu: Lee Scanlon reports from Westport <[link removed]>

Rotorua Daily PostDomestic tourism surges in Rotorua as Aucklanders return <[link removed]>

Otago Daily TimesTime running out for potential candidates <[link removed]>

Whakatane Beacon Where is your research?

Croaking CassandraBad Behaviour: An Update <[link removed]>

National Business ReviewRBNZ chair apologised to Treasury official for Orr outburst <[link removed]>

Bassett, Brash and HideJohn Raine: Holy Water <[link removed]>

Chris Lynch MediaPhil Mauger ranked New Zealand’s most popular metropolitan mayor <[link removed]>

Waikato TimesWaikato Regional Council rejoins Local Government NZ <[link removed]>

The PressWaimakariri mayor crowned most popular in NZ <[link removed]>

NZ HeraldClimate Change: The culture of complaint is alive and well <[link removed]>

The Westport News Cleine 10th least popular mayor

The Bradbury GroupSpeaker Gerry Brownlee on Parliament Haka Fallout | Panel - Sir Roger Douglas, Craig Renney, Peeni Henare, Matthew Tukaki <[link removed]>

The CountryFull Show: Wednesday, 23 July <[link removed]>

The Kaka by Bernard HickeyPeters to allow foreign buying of home <[link removed]>

The PostCandidate has say on rates cap <[link removed]>

The Westport News Stockton snail bill hits $411,000

Whakatane Beacon Important factors overlooked

Wairarapa Times-Age Candidate on rates

Wairarapa Times-Age Rural at expense of urban?

The JackalThe left must unite on voter-friendly tax reform <[link removed]>

InterestThe leftwing Green Party has found common ground with a small-government lobby group by proposing council rates be based solely on land values <[link removed]>

The PressPoll suggests National headed to one-term Government <[link removed]>

The SpinoffWindbag: The government’s misleading case for rates caps <[link removed]>

The StandardWhy is National so desperate for Labour to release policy? <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZBHeather du Plessis-Allan Drive: Full Show Podcast, Monday 21 July <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZBBarry Soper: Newstalk ZB senior political correspondent on the Government putting $83 million towards new Waikato medical school <[link removed]>

Different Matters by Damien GrantJonathan Ayling on Different Matters and free speech <[link removed]>

Bassett, Brash and HideMuch hangs on how you vote on 11 October <[link removed]>

NewsroomInflationary lift need not derail OCR cuts, economists say <[link removed]>

Bassett, Brash and Hide Peter Williams (on behalf of the Taxpayers' Union): The Nats are considering keeping Te Mana o te Wai

Hawke’s Bay TodayThe 2.2% rates rise dream: Mayoral candidates on what they’d need to cut to get the lowest rate rise in NZ <[link removed]>

Otago Daily TimesCouncil defends three-year rates rise of 55% <[link removed]>

Northern Advocate Gold standard – or pretty standard?

RNZLocal democracy under threat? Officials warn against removing council 'four wellbeings' <[link removed]>

The CountryFull Show: Friday, July 18 2025 <[link removed]>

The PlatformJordan Williams On Why Local Government Is Out of Control <[link removed]>

The SpinoffThe tension between central and local government bubbles to the surface <[link removed]>

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union Inc. · 117 Lambton Quay, Level 4, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
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