Dear Supporter,

Revealed: The bizarre ways the Government is fighting COVID-19

Jacinda Ardern (who moonlights as the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage) has been pouring millions in extra taxpayer funding into Creative NZ for its COVID-19 response.

Now we see the result: our research team have combed through the 637 grants (totalling $16 million) handed out under the new Arts Continuity fund, and you either have to laugh or cry.

Here are some highlights from the successful applications:

To research and write the first draft of a novel about male affection in hypermasculine spaces.
AWARDED: $13,000

Towards the composition, recording and production of music inspired by the psychogeography of the West Coast.
AWARDED: $34,900

To support the personnel costs and post-production editing for an art documentary based on Papua New Guinea tattoo practice and revival.
AWARDED: $27,500

Towards writing a children’s picture book (text only) about sustainable community activist Helen Dew.
AWARDED: $3,200

To create and develop an online publication, arts learning resources and musical content based on children’s drag theatre show, The Glitter Garden.
AWARDED: $18,000

Towards the composition and instrumental arrangement of 10 songs for children, from ideas given by children.
AWARDED: $24,600

Towards writing poetry that explores indigeneity and love in the time of climate change.
AWARDED: $17,798

Towards writing a novel about the collapse of democracy in an association of alpaca breeders.
AWARDED: $26,000

Towards a dance concept video showcasing the impact Coronavirus has had on the New Zealand Chinese community.
AWARDED: $24,500

Towards the development of a first draft of a play that explores the menstrual cycle.
AWARDED: $16,766

Towards an Indigenised Hypno-soundscape to take you to the imagined worlds of our Kōrero Pūrākau.
AWARDED: $49,999

Towards development of a movement technique that guides and empowers the participants in becoming specialists in their own body.
AWARDED: $4,530

Towards 3 x hour-long live-streamed electronic music performances with live visual animations, from a kitchen in Paekakariki.
AWARDED: $47,703

Towards a wananga for Maori healing theatre practitioners.
AWARDED: $50,000

Towards composing and recording ten original compositions inspired by emotions felt during the Covid-19 lockdown.
AWARDED: $8,885

Towards development of a new body of work exploring modernism, feminism & queerness, with specific reference to the Otago region.
AWARDED: $30,089

Towards revision and editing of a sailing memoir.
AWARDED: $7,200

Towards a Māori, queer, young adult novel adaptation of Hamlet based on my innovative unproduced screenplay ‘Hamarete’.
AWARDED: $21,000

Towards designing new Māori typefaces for print and digital.
AWARDED: $22,110

Towards the writing, arranging and preproduction of music that forms a song-cycle from the suburban labyrinth.
AWARDED: $21,800

Remember: this money is all going straight onto the Debt Monster's credit card. Our kids will be paying it back with interest. It makes an absolute joke of the Government's COVID-19 response and proves how politicians will use any crisis as an excuse to do special favours for their favourite interest groups.

Sean Plunket covered our findings on Magic Talk, and his callers were spewing. You can listen to part of his segment here (including a chat with yours truly).

Winston reveals he blocked an Ihumātao deal

Last year, thousands of you signed our petition against a taxpayer-funded deal at Ihumātao.

It turns out someone was listening. Winston Peters revealed yesterday that New Zealand First blocked three attempts by the Government to hand over the land to protesters.

While he didn't provide detail on these proposed deals, they're widely understood to have involved a costly taxpayer-funded purchase of the land.

Here's how Mr Peters made his pitch to voters in Orewa yesterday:

If Labour governs after the election, by themselves (heaven forbid), or with the Greens (God help us all), then they will do a deal at Ihumatao.

So if you want a future free from the past and free of guilt choose the only party that can stop Ihumatao and its domino effect and fallout.

If you don’t want a new wave of claims on previously settled Treaty claims it’s in your hands.

And here's the response from ACT's David Seymour (who accepted our petition at Parliament):

Winston Peters created the situation at Ihumātao when he made Jacinda Ardern the Prime Minister.

Fletcher’s private property rights would never have been undermined if he hadn’t installed the current government.

Peters could have promoted one law for all inside Cabinet. Instead, he’s rolled it out three weeks before the election. His comments on Ihumātao today are too little, too late.

Regardless of which party can be trusted, it's a relief to see this issue back on the election agenda so we can have more transparency on the plans for Ihumātao.

Leaders debate: Debt Monster ignored by John Campbell

On Tuesday we closely watched the TVNZ debate between Judith Collins and Jacinda Ardern.

The Debt Monster was watching too. He greeted the leaders as they arrived at the studio:

Most pundits gave Collins the win. She certainly did well, but the real winner on the day might have been the Debt Monster himself. Debate moderator John Campbell failed to press the leaders on their plans to deal with skyrocketing public debt, which is set to reach $112,000 per household in just four years.

Instead, he framed National's tax cut policy as "giving" people money. That's wrong: it's their money to begin with!

Meanwhile, Jacinda Ardern's biggest line of the night was probably when she said "I shouldn't get a tax cut right now". In fact, she wants high earners like herself to pay more tax.

Considering that, it's strange that she hasn't taken up our suggestion of just making a donation straight to Treasury.

All the best,

Louis Houlbrooke Campaigns Manager New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

PS. Thanks to all of you who have contributed to our campaign against the Green Party's unfair tax on your home and savings. We’re working over the weekend to get it launched next week – watch this space.