<[link removed]>Dear Friend,

Because of your support — and the support of tens of thousands of other New Zealanders — the Taxpayers’ Union is able to take on government waste, bad ideas, and overreach that would otherwise go unchallenged.

Quite simply: these wins don’t happen without people like you.

That’s why I’m delighted to share with you the Taxpayers’ Union's <[link removed]> 20 <[link removed]>25/26 Annual Review and Campaign Plan for 2026 <[link removed]>. 

Just as we demand accountability from politicians and bureaucrats, this document is about our accountability to you — showing exactly what your support has achieved.

👉 Read the wins you made possible in 2025 <[link removed]> 👈

<[link removed]>👉 Review the Plan for 2026 <[link removed]> 👈

Consistently punching above our weight 👊

Flicking through the report, I hope you’ll agree that — despite our relatively small size — the Taxpayers’ Union continues to deliver outsized results.

At a time when so many voices in the media are entirely taxpayer-funded (and others are bankrolled by well-resourced special interests), the Taxpayers’ Union exists to provide balance. Every achievement you’ll read about in the Annual Review was made possible by New Zealanders voluntarily chipping in because they believe someone needs to stand up for taxpayers. <[link removed]>

And I hope you’ll agree: your support has been put to good use.

Some highlights from 2025... 

💥 Our exposé on MBIE’s National Science Challenges revealed that $4 million of taxpayer money was spent playing music to kauri trees to “heal” them from kauri dieback. That story cut through nationwide — and became a benchmark in Parliament for what not to do with public money.

💥 As councils piled on ever-bigger rates increases, we made the case for rates capping — standing up for homeowners and renters who simply can’t absorb endless hikes. Our campaign exposed wasteful council spending and helped turn rates capping from a “fringe idea” into a serious, unavoidable national debate about fairness, affordability, and accountability at the local level and resulted in rates caps becoming government policy.

💥 One of our biggest wins of the year was the repeal of David Parker’s IRD snooping powers. Section 17GB had given Inland Revenue sweeping authority to pry into Kiwis’ most intimate financial and personal details — even when there was no suspicion of wrongdoing. Its repeal was a major victory for privacy, dignity, and basic fairness.

💥 We also exposed Simon Watts’ secret Ute Tax 2.0 — a stealth Fringe Benefit Tax hike on work vehicles. After thousands of supporters emailed their local MPs, the policy collapsed. Within 24 hours, the Prime Minister’s office stepped in and killed a $100 million-a-year tax grab before it could take hold.

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Thank you ❤️

The achievements you’ll see in the Annual Report are the fruits of tireless work and bucket loads of passion. When I speak to the Board members (who are not paid), or help train the student-interns and graduate staffers, it is clear that every member of the team – and our volunteers – really love what they do.

But let's not kid ourselves that a prosperous future of New Zealand is secured. 

Sadly, there's just so much more to be done.

Friend, even the Taxpayers' Union can't save the world if they can’t keep the lights on. Thank you to everyone who chipped-in last week to keep the momentum going, and ensure the good work can continue. <[link removed]>

On behalf of the entire team, thank you for making the work of the Taxpayers’ Union possible.

Warm regards,


Jordan Williams
Executive Director
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union

PS. If you have any trouble reading the report online, click here to download the PDF <[link removed]>.

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