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Hi Friend,

Happy Saturday! Welcome to the first Taxpayer Update of 2026. As you'll see, the team are back into it fighting for transparency and accountability of how taxpayer and ratepayer money is being spent.

EXPOSED: Local councillors pocket HUGE pay hikes while rates explode 💸

While many Kiwis struggled to afford the summer treats, no such concerns the country's local councillors, according to the latest ratepayer dashboard published by your humble Taxpayers' Union <[link removed]>.

Over summer, the team snuffed out the 2025 salary and meeting honorarium "entitlement" hikes for every New Zealand council. Let's just say you'll need to be sitting down for this...

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While inflation was 2.7 percent during the 2025 financial year, local councillors merrily accepted a 9.8 percent (on average) annual adjustment to their pay!  For mayors, it's little better, with the average Mayoral salary jumping 8.5 percent for the year.

👉 See how much your local councillors and mayor have paid themselves here <[link removed]>

Meanwhile, the figures listed do not include the extra allowances mayors and councillors get as top-ups: phones, laptops, printers, milage (literally they get reimbursed for driving to work!), and even childcare allowances - which allows councillors and local board members to claim up to $6,000 per year from ratepayers for childcare. <[link removed]>

Performance pay, yeah right! 🤪

While local council decision makers sit pretty, local ratepayers are still being hammered. Remember the average rates bill is up 34 percent over the last three years! <[link removed]>

Take Queenstown-Lakes District Council. Local ratepayers have copped an average rates increase of more than fifty percent in just three years, and the Council has the largest per-capita debt burden in the country. Yet those councillors are pocketing the second-highest pay rise in the country, and the mayor ranks ninth. 🤔

The reform Local Government Minister Simon Watts won't touch 🫣

The real issue here isn't actually the councils, it's the fault of the Government for screwing the scum against ratepayers. Successive Governments have appointed professional bureaucrats <[link removed]> and career politicians <[link removed]> onto the "independent" Remuneration Authority.

The system of broken. The whole regime is designed to prevent pay being tied to performance or outcomes. Ratepayers (and taxpayers) aren't just denied representation, the Remuneration Authority is one of the few public agencies that is not even subject to freedom of information law – so they never have to show their working.

Friend, sunlight is the best disinfectant - and the more the voting public understand how local government is turning from 'public service' into 'highly paid entitlement', the more pressure there will be to fix it.

There are some easy fixes we'd start with: first, councillor and mayoral remuneration should be set once a three year term, not hiked every year.

Second, councils should be given the option to turn down these annual pay increases. That way ratepayers would know whether councils are serious about easing the pressure on households.

See how the pay packets of your local representatives compare here. <[link removed]>

Auckland Council at its best: watering a rainstorm 🌧️



This week, in the midst of the massive rain storms that have been battering the North Island, an Auckland Council contractor was spotted watering a tree.

Yes, you read that right. Not a drizzle. Not “cloudy but dry”. Proper summer rain - the kind that has gutters overflowing and streets flooding - and Auckland Council had a bod out watering the plants.

Auckland Council’s response was a lame “We all make mistakes.” Sure. But this one is less “oops” and more perfect snapshot of how local government operates and the misaligned incentives.

While rain is hammering the city and drains are struggling to cope, someone is being paid to do a task that is not only unnecessary, but actively pointless. If there was ever a moment to apply common sense, this was it. Wouldn't the time have been better spent clearing drains, checking stormwater grates, or preventing the flooding we all end up paying for later?

ACC’s plan to avoid a $26 billion hole: do the basics… faster 🏃‍♂️💸



This week, the Accident Compensation Corporation - ACC - has admitted the quiet part out loud: if nothing changes, its deficit is on track to blow out to a staggering $26 billion by 2030. <[link removed]>

The word hole is an understatement. $26 billion is equivalent to $12,700 for every Kiwi household in forecast overspending

The solution? ACC now says it will focus on rehabilitating claimants faster and getting people back to work sooner, including hiring hundreds more claims managers and pushing for more “active participation” in recovery.

That all sounds sensible, but raises a rather obvious question: why wasn’t ACC doing this already?!

The blow-out isn’t because Kiwis suddenly started injuring themselves more, it’s because claims have dragged on longer, weekly compensation costs have ballooned, and long-term liabilities have exploded. The deficit has always been a management problem, not an accident problem.

And while ACC insists this won’t mean cutting cover, we all know what happens next if the numbers don’t stack up: higher levies on workers and businesses.

If ACC wants taxpayers to believe this turnaround plan, it needs to prove it can manage claims efficiently without simply clipping the ticket harder.

So one we'll be watching closely... 🧐









New Report Peeks into the Books: MPs’ Expenses Compared 🥸

Over the summer break, you may have seen the social media commentary <[link removed]> about the report we published on 5 January laying out the hard numbers on who is spending what in Parliament <[link removed]>. 

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We found that MPs have spent nearly $15 million in taxpayer money over the past 21 months while continuing to withhold line-by-line expense information, leaving taxpayers unable to see what their dollars are actually being spent on. 

Our analysis shows wide variation in both individual and party spending. Te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi recorded the highest individual Parliamentary Service expenditure over the period at $273,681, followed by Labour MP Damien O’Connor and Greens MP Hūhana Lyndon.

When some MPs cost taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars more than their colleagues, perfectly reasonable questions follow. But because Parliamentary Service spending has special carveout from the Official Information Act (just like, the Remuneration Authority - see above!) the public aren't allowed to access to the receipts. So much for the right of taxpayers to know where there money is going...

Opening the books would let the numbers speak for themselves.

Read the research report over on our website. <[link removed]>

REPORT: Why Indexing Tax Thresholds Makes More Sense than Labour's 'free'taxpayer funded GP visits 📋

The second paper we released over summer Robbing Peter to Pay Paul’s Doctor: Why Indexing Tax Thresholds Makes More Sense <[link removed]> exposes how the Governments' failure to adjust income tax thresholds aren’t to inflation, sees the average Kiwi is already $238 worse off — and that figure will keep climbing every year politicians do nothing.

While Labour want an approach of taxing more to pay for a Medicard scheme for three 'free', sorry, taxpayer-funded GP visits per year, we show how ending bracket creep provides more effective household relief than a universal GP subsidy.






Ending bracket creep means taxpayers are not punished for inflation ≠

Tourism NZ’s Instagram celebrity splurge: $9.4 million spent but receipts “commercially sensitive”🤫 🤳


Finally this week, our investigations team revealed over the Christmas break that Tourism New Zealand has spent more than $9.4 million of taxpayer money on social media influencers since 2023.



That’s 65 so-called "influencers", promoting everything from destination marketing to online shopping campaigns and even Minecraft downloadable content.

Despite spending millions, Tourism NZ won't tell us what individual influencers were paid or what taxpayers actually got in return — they're hiding behind a filter of “commercial sensitivity”.

We’re assured the campaigns delivered “sky high advertising value”, but when it comes to the evidence, they won't supply the numbers.

Jordan joined Newstalk ZB's Summer Breakfast to talk through the influencer spend, the refusal to release basic figures, and why “commercial sensitivity” is becoming the default excuse for secrecy in government agencies.

👉Listen to the Newstalk ZB interview here <[link removed]>

RIP Garrick Tremain

Over the summer period, we were very sad learn of the passing of New Zealand’s finest and most influential political cartoonist of the contemporary era. Garrick Tremain was a treasured supporter of the Taxpayers' Union, and happy to known as a significant financial contributor. I thought it was worth repeating Jordan’s comments to the media, in case you missed the news:

Garrick Tremain was a national institution. His intelligence, humour, and insight shaped political debate in this country for generations. He had an extraordinary talent for exposing hypocrisy and absurdity with a pen, and he did so fearlessly. His passing is a genuine loss to us, and to New Zealand’s political and cultural life.

For decades, Garrick's work cut through political spin with intelligence, clarity, and unmistakable wit. His cartoons were never merely humorous; they were incisive, challenging, and often uncomfortable for those in power.

In recent years, we were honoured to count Garrick as a supporter of the Taxpayers’ Union. His financial support was generous, principled, and grounded in a shared belief that robust criticism is essential to a healthy democracy.

The Taxpayers’ Union extends its deepest sympathies to Garrick Tremain’s family and friends. His unique contribution to public discourse will be profoundly missed.

Late last year, Peter Williams sat down with Garrick for a wide ranging conversation for our podcast, Taxpayer Talk. You can listen via our website here <[link removed]> (or via all the usual podcast apps by searching for "Taxpayer Talk").

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Thanks for your support,










Tory Relf
Head of Comms
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union


PS. With election year underway, we’re leading the fight to put taxpayers at the heart of election promises. But we can’t do that without your support. Thank you to everyone who donated to our Election Fighting Fund earlier this week <[link removed]> - I can’t wait to show you what we have in store for 2026.

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In the Media:

Stuff TPM co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer: ‘I could work with Winston and NZ First’ <[link removed]>

Stuff Ashburton council claims influencer marketing ‘excellent value for money’ <[link removed]>

The New Zealand Herald Whatever the election result, tax hikes and welfare cuts loom – Matthew Hooton <[link removed]>

RNZ RNZ News at 10pm, January 22 <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB The Huddle: Do we see Trump getting his way on Greenland? <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Afternoon Edition: 22 January 2026 <[link removed]>

Chris Lynch New poll lifts New Zealand First as country mood turns negative <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Azaria Howell: NewstalkZB reporter on NZ First seeing boost in Taxpayers’ Union-Curia poll <[link removed]>

The New Zealand Herald Election 2026: New Zealand First’s momentum shows in latest poll result, but election a long way off – Jamie Ensor <[link removed]>

The Press Chris Hipkins dips toe into class politics with first major speecg of election year <[link removed]>

NZCity A sharp rise for New Zealand First in a new poll, and a steep drop for the Greens <[link removed]>

The Platform Fundamental Danger That A Centre Left Government Would Represent <[link removed]>

The Times NZ First receives record support in new political poll <[link removed]>

RNZ Coalition parties extend lead over left bloc in latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll <[link removed]>

The New Zealand HeraldElection 2026: New Zealand First starts year on high recording best-ever result in Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll <[link removed]>

Waikato Times New poll: Labour leads National, NZ First on the rise <[link removed]>

The Listener Danyl McLauchlan: Between austerity and orthodoxy, NZ’s left goes quiet <[link removed]>

The Press ECan’s $500,000 insurance perk for staff <[link removed]>

Gulf News Lemonade by gaslight <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Morning Edition: 08 January 2026 <[link removed]>

Gone by Lunchtime Summer Reissue: Juggernaut 2 <[link removed]>

The Listener Russell Brown looks back at the year that was 2026 <[link removed]>

The Press MP’s domestic travel costs hit $3.4m in nine months <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Jordan Williams: Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director on Tourism New Zealand spending over $9 million on influencer advertising <[link removed]>

NZCity Te Pati Maori co-leader Rawiri Waititi is the highest-spending MP – in terms of Parliamentary Service funding <[link removed]>

The New Zealand Herald The economy has crashed completely off track – Matthew Hooton <[link removed]>

Newsroom Political pollsters’ picks for 2026 <[link removed]>

The Post ‘A bloody fantastic life’: Garrick Tremain dies at 84 <[link removed]>

The New Zealand Herald Public servants more left-leaning than private sector workers, new poll shows <[link removed]>

The Post Taranaki Regional Council defends high crash rate of staff vehicles <[link removed]>

Waikato Times The Government’s 2025 Cabinet, marked <[link removed]>

The Post Get ready for the Knock ‘Em Down, Bash ‘Em Up political campaign <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Andrew Dickens: You can’t get rid of Working for Families and stay in government <[link removed]>

Interest.co.nzBrian Easton notes that the government is still borrowing for consumption and suspects neither Nicola Willis nor Ruth Richardson actually understand what is behind their recent public spat <[link removed]>

NewstalkZB Lockwood Smith and Richard Hills: Wrapping the year of Politics <[link removed]>

RNZ Economic forecasts, weather forecasts, summer break clickbait <[link removed]>

The New Zealand Herald My word of the year, déjà vu – Heather du Plessis-Allan <[link removed]>

Stuff New Zealand deserves better than Nicola Willis’ plan <[link removed]>

RNZ The economic horizon with Liam Dann <[link removed]>

NBR Silly season, GDP growth, super ministry, Nelson Tenths Trust <[link removed]>

The Post The madness before our annual ‘productivity plunge’ <[link removed]>

Three Gals One Beehive All I want for Christmas is… <[link removed]>

RNZ Hospitals asked to save $510 million despite $538 million going unspent <[link removed]>

PunditConsolidating The Fisc <[link removed]>

StuffNicola Willis, when will things actually start getting better? <[link removed]>

The Australian When fiscal conservatives fall out, you know the books are in trouble  <[link removed]>

The PlatformCameron Bagrie Reviews The Economic Year & The Willis-Richardson Spat <[link removed]>

NewstalkZBFinance Minister Nicola Willis joins Nick Mills at Prefab <[link removed]>

The PostThe Post letters to the editor: December 19 <[link removed]>

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