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Hi Friend,

The breaking news re Andrew Coster / McSkimming's cover-up: another golden handshake must be ruled out.

Last night, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) dropped its report on the Police cover up of the allegations related to disgraced former Commissioner, Jevon McSkimmings.

As an organisation whose primary purpose is accountability of government, I can't think of a report in the last decade more damning of such a senior public official. 

The IPCA conclude that former Police Commissioner Andrew Coster "attempted to influence the nature and extent of the original IPCA investigation and the timeframe for its completion. Those attempts were perceived by some others within Police as designed to bring the investigation to a rapid and premature conclusion so as not to intersect with the Commissioner appointment process and jeopardise Mr McSkimming’s prospects of being appointed as the next Commissioner of Police, notwithstanding the seriousness of the allegations being made."

The former Police Commissioner also put in place a protocol to keep the Police Minister in the dark, ensuring communications intended for the Minister/his office were instead routed to him.

Put simply, New Zealand's former top cop tried to bury sexual allegations related to his mate, and second-in-command. Instead of ensuring a proper investigation, he allowed the Police to prosecute the victim for online harassment of McSkimmings!

He was once labelled 'Cuddles Coster' - 'Creepy Coster' seems more apt.

Regular readers will recall that in order to move Coster on from the Police, the Government moved him sideways last November to a very well paid role, CEO of the Social Investment Agency (he's on roughly the same as the Prime Minister's salary).

Despite the damning report, Coster has not resigned. He's digging in and is on 'garden leave', i.e. full pay.

This is the way it goes in the public service - as we saw with the former Reserve Bank Governor, Adrian Orr – no one gets sacked in Wellington, without a negotiated taxpayer-funded "golden handshake".

We say, enough is enough. We are calling on the Public Service Commissioner to publicly rule out a costly parachute for Coster (see our media release here: Brian Roche looking like a fool for every minute Creepy Coster remains on the public teat <[link removed]>)

My prediction is that this will be a fast-moving story, and it is one the Taxpayers' Union will be keeping a very close eye on.

In the meantime, here are the links to the IPCA's own damning words: the full 135 page explosive report is downloadable here <[link removed]>, and the IPCA's shorter summary is here <[link removed]>.

On to more positive matters...

We've celebrated another Taxpayer Victory, and this one has been a long time coming...

Taxpayer Victory: health research funding responsibility to be taken away from the Health Research Council 💉🥳



Friend, you might recall that last year, your humble Taxpayers' Union got into a little bit of controversy for calling out some of the most ridiculous Health Research Council stories <[link removed]>.

Among the "science" grants we called out were the $377,550 for "Healing with Māori Music <[link removed]>"; $150,000 for "Building room for equity: Culture centred design of hospital waiting rooms <[link removed]>"; $150,000 for "Health Promotion Interventions for Pacific men in a Barbershop <[link removed]>" and the following grant, that we're still trying to figure out...

Hapai te hauora: Breathing your ancestors into life

"Hāpai te hauora’ as ‘breathing your ancestors into life’, captures the breadth & connections of a generation – rangatahi Māori–a generation moving forward together. This proposal builds on an HRC funded project (18/651) exploring the ways rangatahi Māori make sense of & live hāpai te hauora through navigating journeys of hauora & wellbeing."

Approved funding: $649,992

More recently, we highlighted the hundreds of thousands of "science" money being shuffled by the Health Research Council to "exploring the narratives of the water" and "the use of te reo in Otago University". 

The wheels of Government move slowly Friend, but at long last, the Health Research Council is having its wings clipped.

Minister for Science, Innovation, and Technology Dr Shane Reti has announced <[link removed]> an in-principle decision has also been made to transfer health research funding from the Health Research Council to a new (and, we understand, narrower in scope) Research Funding NZ.

With every health and research dollar being precious, it's good to finally see some progress. We look forward to reviewing the next set of grant approvals...

$6.3 million on taxpayer-funded restaurant reviewers 🍽️💸⭐️

Tourism subsidies are always one of the more questionable line items of government spending. 

Now our nation's tourism bureaucrats are spending $6.3 million to bring the Michelin Guide to New Zealand <[link removed]>, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill for a lavish subsidy to high-end restaurants. 



Tourism New Zealand claims the guide could attract tens of thousands of international visitors, but relying on people hopping on long-haul flights for a fancy meal is not responsible spending.

This comes only a few months after increases to the International Visitor levy on international visitors made holidays here less affordable.

I was on the huddle on Thursday, and even my good (left wing) friend, Ali Jones, agreed it's a poor use of money. <[link removed]>

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If Ministers genuinely want to support tourism and hospitality, there are better ways to do it. Practical measures, like capping rates for businesses, would help the whole industry instead of lining the pockets of a couple of fine dining establishments.

The economic consensus appears to be that most of the extra dollars spent at the newly minted Michelin Star restaurants are going to come from money that would otherwise have been spent in New Zealand anyway. In layman's terms, it's reallocating the cake, not necessarily growing it.

NEW POLL: Centre-Right back ahead, Labour biggest party, Seymour surges 🚀

The first poll since Labour's Capital Gains Tax announcement is out, and it's encouraging news for the Government.

November's Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll has the Centre-Right bloc able to form a Government with the "CGT ripple" seeing Labour grow its vote slightly, but all at the expense of the Greens.

Let's dive in:



Labour holds on to its spot as the largest party, gaining 2.1 points to 33.3 percent, while the Greens are down 2.8 points to 9.2 percent.

The other big party, National, is also up. They rise 0.6 points to 30.2 percent.

New Zealand First is down 1.5 points to 9.1 percent. ACT is up 2.0 points to 8.6 percent, while Te Pāti Māori is down 1.1 points to just 3.3 percent.



On these numbers, the Centre-Right bloc would hold 62 seats to the Centre-Left bloc's 60, meaning the Government is back in front.



David Seymour's team will be watching this poll closely. After a stint as Acting Prime Minister last month (while Luxon was off-shore) and having to respond to Labour's inflation capital gains tax, Seymour's net favourability has surged 16 points and now sits at a (not quite as dire) -11 percent.

Luxon's net favourability is on -10 percent (+4 points), Hipkins is on -2 percent (nc), and Peters on +2 percent (+5 points).

More information about the poll, including Preferred Prime Minister numbers, is available over on our website. <[link removed]>











MFAT spends five days figuring out what to do with Winston Peters’ Mongolian horse 🐎 



Ever had a horse to house? Last week, our investigations team uncovered that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spent five days debating how to handle Winston Peters’ gift from Mongolia: a horse named Stamina <[link removed]>.

Thanks to a tip off and subsequent Official Information Act (OIA) responses (which can be read here <[link removed]> and here <[link removed]>), we now know that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade spent a solid five days on what can only be described as a game of “What do we do with this horse?”

An email chain involving 14 MFAT officials reveals a whole lot of back-and-forth on issues like what to name the horse (eventually landing on Stamina), how similar gifts had been previously handled, and just generally what to do with this unusual diplomatic gift.

It’s an impressive display of the burden of bureaucracy in action. Spending five days working on what to do with Stamina doesn't exactly scream Government efficiency to us! 

Police breath tests: Allegations of a costly systemic rot 🚔 



RNZ recently broke the story that more than 100 police officers are under investigation for falsifying 30,000 breath‑tests.

And now we've learned that more than 100 of the officers currently remain on duty. <[link removed]> This begs the question, where is the accountability for falsifying data?

The Police force exceeded its annual testing target by nearly a million tests, but it now appears some officers manipulated the numbers to hit performance goals. This exposes a system that prioritises appearances over accountability.

We say Ministers and senior police leadership must take action to restore trust, enforce consequences, and fix the culture that allowed this dishonesty to happen.

And with today's news (see top of email), isn't that true?!

Auckland's Supercity: A decade without a serious review 🔍🤨️



Can you believe the Auckland Council and the Supercity model have been operating for over a decade?

Yet despite billions flowing through rates and development levies, there’s never been a full, independent review into whether the supercity delivers value for ratepayers.

Longtime Taxpayers' Union expert advisory, Phil Barry, has been crunching the numbers on the Super City. His latest analysis highlights how the governance framework remains bloated, opaque, and untested against real outcomes <[link removed]>. From sprawling committees to overlapping council-controlled organisations, it creates layers of bureaucracy that cost everyday Aucklanders both time and money.

With other parts of the country considering amalgamation, it is important to understand whether Auckland's supercity has actually delivered for ratepayers before others follow and amalgamate.

Phil's report should be a call to arms to ensure the Government commissions the post-implementation review ratepayers were promised when the Super City was introduced.

Stephen Rowe: Leading AI Politics and global youth movements 🎤🇺🇸 



Last week, our university campus group Generation Screwed met with Stephen Rowe, who was over from the US being hosted by the Taxpayers' Union. Stephen has extensive experience in leveraging AI and technology to mobilise pro-freedom organisations and make political engagement more effective. 

Over the years, he has worked closely with centre-right activists, including the late Charlie Kirk, who hired Stephen as just the third Turning Point USA employee way back when.

Creating a first-class opportunity to learn from someone who knows how to transform ideas into action and grow a movement that matters… all while throwing in a Lord of the Rings reference or two.

Stephen featured on Sunday’s Q+A with Jack Tame, discussing AI in Politics and his experience working with Charlie Kirk <[link removed]>.  <[link removed]>

Stephen was also interviewed and featured on page two of the Weekend Post <[link removed]>, and sat down for a (very entertaining!) podcast with Taxpayers' Union supporter (and Sunday Star Times columnist) Damien Grant. <[link removed]>

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Taxpayer Talk – Jamie Beaton on how to fix New Zealand's failing education system 📚

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For this week's episode of Taxpayer Talk <[link removed]>, I sit down with Jamie Beaton, the co-founder of Crimson Education and one of New Zealand’s most high-profile entrepreneurs. Hailing from Auckland, Jamie has turned his ambition into a global platform, helping students gain access to elite universities while showing the world what Kiwi talent can achieve.

Jamie didn’t shy away from the politics of entrepreneurship either, highlighting how burdensome regulation and high taxes can stifle young people trying to make their mark. Jamie argued the government should focus on empowering ambitious individuals, rather than penalising success, stressing the importance of nurturing local talent to compete on a global stage. 

For Generation Screwed and other young Kiwis looking to turn ideas into action, Jamie’s experience and advice offer a blueprint: ambition, persistence, and smart risk-taking. His story is proof that New Zealanders can play at the highest level internationally if given the right opportunities and support.


 Jordan Williams
 Executive Director
 New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union. 

PS. The victory over the Health Research Council is a big win for taxpayers, but you know that we can’t stop here. We’re building up our reserves for election 2026 to ensure we can continue holding the government (and opposition parties!) accountable. If you want to see more wins like this, please donate to our fighting fund today. <[link removed]>

In the Media:

Stuff.co.nzIs this the capital gains tax Labour finally gets across the line? <[link removed]>

The PostOf capital gains and political losses <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZBThe Panel with Jordan Williams and Luke Dallow: Measles, 50 more MPs? <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZBDebbie Roberts: CGT wouldn't be the end of the world <[link removed]>

Northern AdvocatePopular Far North mayor won’t seek re-election in 2028 <[link removed]>

Waikato TimesIt's grim up north as South Island leads the economic recovery: Centrix <[link removed]>

ListenerOfficial reaction to Palestine-Israel activism threatens NZ’s social cohesion <[link removed]>

Waikato TimesCouncil opens new term with their own pay talks <[link removed]>

Whanganui ChronicleElections 2026: Whanganui MP Carl Bates reselected as National’s electoral candidate <[link removed]>

Interest.co.nz September quarter saw the first increase in working hours in almost two years, hinting a job market recovery may be beginning <[link removed]>

Stuff.co.nzLive: Unemployment rate rises to 5.3%, shows ‘ongoing fragility’ in the economy, business group says <[link removed]>

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