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Dear Supporter,

NEW: 2022 Ratepayer Report league tables

We’ve just released the 2022 Ratepayers’ Report, our popular local government league tables – in time for local elections! Josh was on Radio NZ this morning to discuss the findings.

Find out how your council stacks up at www.ratepayersreport.nz

Revealed: Highest and lowest council rates

You can compare your local council’s performance and financial position. Rates are on the rise but (thankfully) slowing down. The average council increased its rates by $72 compared to $111 last year, with the average residential rate nationwide now $2,644.

Rates: Small councils are among the most and least expensive - but Auckland now tops list

Bad news for our friends in Auckland, the Super City now ranks highest for average residential rates at $3,656. Carterton District Council is a close second at $3,650.

Interestingly, it's small councils at both the top and the bottom of the table: the council with the lowest average residential rates in New Zealand is Ōpōtiki District Council ($1,826) - serving a similar size population as Caterton's Council.

Who has maxed out borrowing?

Christchurch City Council once again has the highest liabilities with $29,773 owing for every household in the City!

Christchurch's earthquakes perhaps justify the high amount, but Auckland's disastrous borrowing is manmade: successive mayors have borrowed to the gunnels meaning that every Aucklander's mortgage is effectively $29,000 higher because of the Council's borrowing. Ouch.

Central Otago District Council has the country's lowest liabilities per household – just $808.

>>> See how your council compares at RatepayersReport.nz <<<

Parker pulls the pin on Kiwisaver tax

In case you missed David's email yesterday, Revenue Minister David Parker pulled the pin on the Government's tax on Kiwisaver and managed retirement funds.

The tax was announced and shot dead within 24 hours. This is student politics disorganisation at a national level. In Parliament yesterday, the Prime Minister claimed that the GST change has been in the pipeline for years, but we keen a very close eye on IRD’s regular tax consultation papers – and despite the spin from the Beehive, this proposal came from nowhere.

Health NZ's transparency dead on arrival 🤦

This week's government-transparency "facepalm award" must surely go to Health NZ Board Chair Rob Campbell for referring to the notion of adopting the former DHB practice of having their meetings in public as "occupational therapy for journalists". 

First and foremost, transparency of how decisions involving the public health system isn't about journalists or the media - it's for the public and taxpayers who pay Mr Campbell's generous salary. Kiwis should expect more from the person chairing our new health system and holding meetings in public (as every DHB did under the former system) improves trust and integrity of the public service.

The ODT's editorial puts it well: 

Te Whatu Ora-Health New Zealand chairman Rob Campbell should know something about occupational therapy — about half of New Zealand’s 2500 or so OTs work for the newly unified health system.

Which makes his statement yesterday that getting on with HNZ’s work "is more important to us than providing occupational therapy for journalists" all the more outrageous.

Leaving aside the extraordinarily jaundiced view of journalists and their work that that tart aside reveals, it also betrays a lack of understanding about the work those fine health professionals carry out with dedication every day.

Mr Campbell was being quizzed about just how transparent HNZ is, and it was an entirely legitimate line of inquiry for the media to pursue.

Back when the district health board system was in place, each of the 20 local boards released extensive agendas and reports for public consumption, before meeting in public to discuss their contents. Continue reading...

We've written to Mr Campbell calling on him to, at minimum, rethink his approach to transparency. See my comments to media here: Transparency Already On Life Support At Health NZ

National and Greens undermine public service standards

We don't often congratulate the Minister of Health on his decisions, but Andrew Little has earned a thumbs up for his rebuke of public servant Dr Gary Jackson for using his position as Director of Public Health at Counties Manukau to lobby MPs.

Dr Jackson lobbied MPs using a Health NZ letterhead in a clear breach of public service professional standards. It is not ‘silencing’ to pull him up on this; it is upholding the structures we have in place to ensure New Zealand’s public service is as neutral, transparent, and accountable as possible.

The rule is simple: keep your politics out of your job and your job out of politics. Dr Jackson is quite welcome to pontificate on political matters unrelated to his job. But the fact is he is a Director of Public Health - wearing a ‘personal hat’ on public health policy is simply not possible.

National and the Green Party have criticised Minister Little. Dr Shane Reti and Chloe Swarbrick’s arguments that Dr Jackson is an expert and that his letter was "thoughtful", ignore the fact that public service standards exist to protect the integrity of those working for the New Zealand Government. Would they still argue for a public servant who used their public office to support a political stance they didn’t agree with?

We say Andy got this one right!

Goodbye, farewell, haere ra, arrivederci, adios, au revoir, sayōnara, don't let the door hit ya...

Taxpayer fund waster extraordinaire Speaker Trevor Mallard resigned last week.

The fact Speaker Mallard retained the confidence of the Prime Minister despite disgracing the Office by falsely alleging a Parliamentary employee was a rapist – and refusing to back down for more than 12 months, despite knowing he was wrong and costing taxpayers at least $333,641.70 – is a stain that will remain on this Government. By the way, that "Taxpayer Invoice" abily presented by our friendly mascot, Porky the Waste-Hater is still outstanding...

Trevor Mallard's legacy includes a punch-up outside Parliament, threatening to shove beer bottles up bottoms, and a now torched children’s slide he spent three-quarters of a million taxpayer dollars on. 

Taxpayer Talk with Peter Williams: Hon Chris Finlayson + panel 🎙️🎧

This week’s Taxpayer Talk guest is former Attorney General Chris Finlayson. His latest book Yes Minister reflects on his time in Parliament and how the country was run during the John Key years. In a wide ranging discussion with host Peter Williams he expresses his frustration with the country’s civil justice system, explains why co-governance isn’t such a bad thing and why the National Party got it so wrong after Bill English stepped down as leader in 2018. Finlayson also pays tribute to an unsung hero of the National caucus whose foresight saved the country’s economy during the Covid era. Elsewhere on Taxpayer Talk the Panel discusses the week’s big political issues and Peter replies to some of your correspondence. Listen to the episode.

Sign the petition: Share the slides

There has been a lot of water under the bridge between Dr Gaurav Sharma and the Labour Party, but there is one thing in particular we want to ensure doesn't get swept away in the PR clean up. That's the allegations about OIA dodging that Dr Sharma has raised.

So we are calling on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to make public the presentation slides, documentation, and accounts of the content of the OIA workshop in which Dr Gaurav Sharma claims coaching on how to avoid the Official Information Act allegedly took place.

Government transparency is important to the functioning of a health democracy and our freedom of information law is designed to ensure that New Zealanders can have oversight of Government decision making and ensure accountability.

One more thing

We are 100% funded by our members and supporters like you, who make our work holding the Government (and councils) to account. To back the mission of Lower Taxes, Less Waste, and More Transparency, click here to donate via our secure website.

Thank you for your support.

Jordan Williams Executive Director New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Media coverage:

Stuff Should NZ follow the US example of forgiving student loan debt?

Newstalk ZB The Huddle: Health NZ, Jan Tinetti, Cost of Living Payments

Newstalk ZB Barry Soper on OCR, latest poll and Gaurav Sharma

NZ Herald Kate MacNamara: Three Waters and Jacinda Ardern's contention that ownership matters, not control

NZ Herald Bruce Cotterill: Three Waters doesn't pass the sniff test