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Hi Friend,
Good
morning! Some good news: our Cap Rates now petition has hit
30,000 signatures! Massive thanks to everyone who has supported this
campaign.
Also this
week, DIA can't keep track of its results (what else is
new?), StatsNZ accidentally built a reward scheme for being
difficult, and some changes at the top here at the Taxpayers' Union
(hint: a former Labour Minister of Revenue joins our
board...).
30,000
sign up to Cap Rates Now campaign 👊
In just
five weeks, we went from launching the campaign at Fieldays to having
Simon Watts, Minister for Local Government, standing on a ute outside
the LGNZ conference promising to have rates caps in place by
Christmas.
If
that doesn’t show you the power of your support, I don’t know what
will. Thank you.
But the job
isn’t done yet. We must keep the pressure on Watts and co to stick to
their word.
Friend, we've won the politics, but now have to
win the policy – on these things, the devil is always in the
details.
Next step
is to show that our campaign has backing and down the country: If
you live on a busy road, get your banner here and let's ensure the
politicians get the message loud and clear for the local body
elections.
And if you missed
out on one of our snazzy "Cap Rates Now" trucker caps at Fieldays –
get yours now!
WTF?! Nicola Willis delivers... more bureaucrats
👀
The
National Party talks a lot about 'delivering' for New Zealanders. And
Nicola Willis is doing so. But not the value for money promised,
apparently.
New
numbers quietly released by the Public Service Commission last week
show public service numbers are STILL higher than at the 2023
election.
Job losses
in Wellington? Yeah, Right! 🫨
There have
been piddly little announcements from various departments about
so-called ‘cuts’ (Friend, that’s usually just code for not hiring
replacement staff).
From the 'I
thought we voted Labour out' file comes the news that, despite being tasked with ‘going
for growth’, so far the only thing Nicola Willis has managed to grow
is the size of the public service.
Quite
literally, there are more bureaucrats currently employed in Wellington
than when National took office 18 months ago.
You can
read the (very small) amount of media coverage on the issue
here. [need
link!!!]
With a
structural deficit still baked into the Government’s books, taxpayers
can’t afford a bloated bureaucracy and empty promises.
And with
the official New
Zealand Government Debt Clock ticking faster and faster steadily
towards $300 billion (that’s more than $137,500 per household), we
simply cannot keep going like this. Tick, tock, Mrs
Willis...
StatsNZ rewards non-compliance with goody bags
🙉
Have you
ever been a good, community-minded citizen and complied immediately
with StatsNZ’s requests for information? Well, legally you have
to.
Having to
occasionally answer petty questions from a stats agency is a bit like
jury service, or the legal requirement to enrol to vote. A pain, but
part the parcel of being a citizen.
But, it
turns out you may be better off ignoring Stats NZ's requests – at
least for the first couple of goes.
The
Taxpayers’ Union has revealed that StatsNZ
are spending hundreds of thousands on 'gifts' and a reward scheme for
those who break the law and don't complete Stats
questionnaire, such as the household economic
surveys.
Friend, if
you had needed a little tempting into responding, you could have been
in with a chance of receiving as part of the $338,000 spent in the
last three years:
- 7,149 gift
cards (worth $20 each, for a total of $143,000)
- 5,179
coffee mug packs (totalling $52,261)
- Or
notepads, pens, or fridge magnets, adding up to $93,533
This isn’t Stats NZ’s first time playing Santa
with taxpayer money. Remember
the Warriors tickets, fuel vouchers, and food cards in the line-up for
the 2023 census? Seems Stats NZ officials like to
reward un-civic behaviour rather than ensure the law is
complied with.
Millions Spent, Zero Proof: The Campaign
That Could Be Anything 😳
Our
investigations team have also revealed that the Department of Internal
Affairs’ Keep It Real Online campaign has cost
taxpayers more than $4.3 million since 2020.
But that’s
not all, Friend. Because do you know what they admitted to?
They
have no idea of the impact of the campaign.
Yes. More
than four million dollars, and no measurable outcomes were even
assessed.
We’re told
the ads reached ‘two-thirds of parents’, but reach means
nothing without results.
Here at the
Taxpayers' Union, we say Government advertising campaigns need to have
a clearly defined objective, targets and measurable outcomes before
launch (and millions spent).
But yet
again, officials are ok with vague 'vibes' and video
views.
When
departments have millions for ad men, but can’t show results, maybe
Ministers should be taking the hint that too much money is sloshing
around public sector budgets...
Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance goes live
📺
Our friends
and colleagues at the Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance are out the door
with their first appearance on live TV👇
James
talked earthquake strengthening (clearly his Mastermind specialist
subject, call me impressed) and council mismanagement (also his
expertise!).
If you’re a
Wellington local, head
over to Wellington Ratepayers’ Alliance to join the movement fighting
to improve Wellington's local councils. [needs to be single click
sign up!]
Wellington cannot afford a second Tory Whanau or a Campbell
Barry lookalike.
Gen
Screwed goes wild (for democracy)
🐯🗳️
Speaking of
Wellington local government, the Taxpayers' Union's on-campus
wing, Generation Screwed are kicking off Wellington's mayoral
debate series this Wednesday.
This Wednesday, Generation
Screwed is throwing down with a mayoral debate at Vic Uni’s Pipitea
campus, just a stone’s throw from the
Beehive.
Alex
Barker, Ray Chung, Andrew Little and the other contenders will be
taking the stage. We’re putting real questions to real candidates, no
spin, no fluff.
You
don’t need to be a student to attend, just sign up here to grab a
seat. Show up, speak up, and back the next generation of
Taxpayers’ Union supporters.
Medical
doctor and former Labour Party Cabinet Minister, join the Union
🎉
Former Minister
of Revenue Stuart Nash and breast surgeon-turned property
developer Dr John Harman have joined the Board of the Taxpayers'
Union.
With
increased polarisation in politics (which makes the job of the
Taxpayers' Union much harder!) and the matters of politicisation of
the IRD - Stu brings a valuable perspective to the team. Despite his
Labour Party background, Stu
was an early supporter of the Taxpayers' Union, writing a foreword to
our first of many reports on corporate welfare under the John Key
Government back in 2014.
Surgeon John Harman is best known for
performing the first breast reconstruction surgery in New Zealand and
setting up the country's first breast clinic. In more recent years, he
has been a business leader and healthcare expert, and owns one of
the major New Zealand residential solar companies.
You
can read our Chair, Hon Ruth Richardson's comments to the media about
the appointments here.
As ever,
thanks for your support Friend,
Have a
great week.
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