Jordan Williams · [email protected]

August 16, 2026 at 3:15 AM

Taxpayer Update: $303k climate junket ✈️ | Labour’s ChatGPT subsidy 🤖 | Ferry gravy train ⛴️

📌View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, What a week. While Wellington has been consumed by the National Party's attempt to blow the arms off its own leader – only for the whole thing to blow up in Chris Penk's face – we've been focused on what actually matters: policy and your money…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

August 6, 2026 at 11:15 PM

Taxpayer Update: New poll 📊 | Winston's baby bonus 💸 | Bureaucrat sickies 🤒 | $300k for kapa haka "research" 🤦

📌View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Today marks three months until the election, and the silly season has well begun. It even snowed in Wellington! This week, we look at whether NZ First’s $400 million proposed 'baby bonus' is likely to work, expose who in the government is pull…

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  Rhys Hurley, Taxpayers' Union · [email protected]

August 6, 2026 at 4:58 AM

Taxpayers' Union Investigation: How many bureaucrats are still on gardening leave?

Dear Friend, Do you remember last month’s story of a Ministry of Justice bureaucrat who got caught smuggling gold bars for a gang? In case you missed it, Russell Harrison was arrested in June 2021 and remained on his taxpayer-funded salary for five years before pleading guilty to smugglin…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

July 29, 2026 at 11:18 PM

🚨 100 days to save New Zealand's future | Labour's dirty tricks exposed

Hi Friend, With just 100 days to go, it is becoming clear that this year's election result will be on a knife-edge. As Richard Prebble put it a couple of weeks ago – it's too close to call. Friend, the prospect of Chris Hipkins taking back the Beehive is very, very real. To put it simpl…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

July 28, 2026 at 2:41 AM

Taxpayer Update: Luxon embraces higher taxes 💔 | MBIE's $35m cover-up 😳 | Councils' $1.1b art stash 🎨

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, The big political story in the last 24 hours has been Christopher Luxon ruling out TOP. But there's a more important story this morning that's been largely missed – Luxon appears to be no longer ruling out increasing your taxes! Our new re…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

July 23, 2026 at 3:27 AM

Taxpayer Update: Co-governance win 💪 | Shane’s mussel money 🦪 | Rich tax myth busted 💰

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Another big policy victory, another boondoggle out of Shane Jones' slush fund "Regional Infrastructure Fund", and a new myth-busting paper targeting Chlöe Swarbrick's fake news oft-repeated claims that the wealthy in New Zealand do not pay their…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

July 20, 2026 at 2:53 AM

RE: URGENT: Councils are rushing through co-governance deals

Hi Friend, An update on the councils locking in "Mana Whakahono ā Rohe" (iwi participation agreements) in advance of Parliament passing the new laws to replace the RMA. Firstly, thank you to all of our supporters who took the time to contact Government MPs. Based on the number of MPs who reach…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

July 17, 2026 at 12:42 AM

URGENT: Councils are rushing through co-governance deals

Hi Friend, I know you're busy, but this can't wait. Right now, councils across New Zealand are quietly working to lock in "Mana Whakahono ā Rohe" (iwi participation agreements) before Parliament passes the new Resource Management laws. The Government’s proposed replacement legislation would…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

July 9, 2026 at 1:45 AM

Taxpayer Update: Russ wins Lotto 💸 | Hipkins opens the door 🚪 | Ruth takes on KiwiSaver 💥

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, We have bad news if you fell for claims the Government is shrinking Wellington's bureaucracy; good news on our Cap Rates Now campaign, plus this month's Taxpayers' Union-Curia Poll and Peter Williams sits down with the Deputy PM David Seymour fo…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

July 8, 2026 at 6:38 AM

Breaking: Hipkins opens the door to council rates caps 🙌

Hi Friend, Sorry to email you in the evening, but this couldn’t wait. Tonight, on Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive, it became obvious Labour is walking back its earlier opposition to our campaign calling on the Government to Cap Rates Now. What’s happened is this: Labour MP Dami…

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  David Farrar · [email protected]

July 2, 2026 at 4:40 AM

RE: Election on knife-edge: Just 120 days until voting opens

Hi Friend, Just catching up on email, and saw Peter’s note below. I have to say that I too am worried about the months ahead. The polls are very close and the election result is anything but certain. To avoid a Labour/Green/Te Pāti Māori high-tax nightmare, strong efforts from third party g…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

July 1, 2026 at 3:17 AM

Taxpayer Update: Rates Dashboard out now 📊 | Water bill stitch-up 💧 | Hands off our holidays🏕️

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Happy Wednesday Friend, If you're a ratepayer, brace yourself: the 2026 edition of our popular 'rates dashboard' is out now , and it makes for sorry reading. TL:DR: colour me surprised, but for those now facing new water bills from today, the councils h…

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  Peter Williams · [email protected]

June 27, 2026 at 8:46 PM

Election on knife-edge: Just 120 days until voting opens

Hi Friend, I know it’s Sunday, so I’ll keep this brief. Today marks just 120 days until advance voting opens . That is not long. In fact, by the time “official” election campaigns really get going, most New Zealanders will already have made up their minds. At the last election, around ha…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 23, 2026 at 3:41 AM

Jacinda and Chippy funded the Mongrel Mob. We can stop it happening again.

Hi Friend, Do you remember how Jacinda Ardern and Chris Hipkins (as Police Minister) gave away millions to gangs to sell drugs, sorry, run "drug rehabilitation programmes"?  We're not making this up. Labour gave $2.75 million of taxpayers' money between 2021 and 2024 to a Mongrel Mob-l…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 21, 2026 at 7:29 AM

Taxpayer Update: Nats go compulsory 💰 | Greens go full tax grab 💸 | Matua Jones' limo bill 🥂 | Bureaucrats caught in cover up 🤫

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, It might be a Sunday, but your humble Taxpayers' Union has been in the office today and hard at work... 💁‍♂️ A lot to pack in this week: some promising signs on the local government information front, yet more interesting maths from Labour (j…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 16, 2026 at 11:54 PM

Simon Watts promised to ‘fix’ local government – but he's is about to make it even worse

Hi Friend, I know there is a lot going on in politics at the moment, but this can't wait. We've uncovered major fishhooks buried deep inside Simon Watts' "Local Government (Systems Improvement) Bill" currently before Parliament and in the last stages. It's not a politically sexy issue, and …

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

June 11, 2026 at 11:32 PM

Taxpayer Update: Labour’s $180m bus bill 🚌 | Save the Family Farm 🚜 | New poll 📊

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Hello from Fieldays, where we've launched our Save the Family Farm campaign (more on this below). We've also got this month's Taxpayers’ Union-CuriaPoll, a defence of the cost of the Official Information Act, and our Ratepayer Guide to Amalg…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 10, 2026 at 12:29 AM

Chris Hipkins wants to tax your holiday home so you can pay for his

Hi Friend, We all know politicians "take the piss" when it comes to entitlements. But have you seen the news about Chris Hipkins? He has taken it to a whole new level. The most common rort is when MPs claim a tax-free Wellington accommodation allowance when they already own an apart…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 8, 2026 at 9:21 PM

Is New Zealand farming at risk?

Hi Friend, It's National Fieldays at Mystery Creek later this week, but the question we should be asking is what happens to New Zealand when the family farm disappears?  That's also the question to ask while looking at the election policies coming out of Wellington.  Family farming isn't ju…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

June 7, 2026 at 7:06 AM

Taxpayer Update: OT has more staff than kids 🤯 | $32m climate crusade at prisons 💸 | 1News hides the emails 📺

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, While the media would have voters believe the Government's budget was all about 'cuts', this week we explore how the debt continues to climb. We also highlight the hypocrisy of Television New Zealand demanding "transparency from everyone but…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

June 2, 2026 at 3:33 AM

Policy Victory! Council voting to be restricted to elected councillors

Hi Friend, We did it!  After years of campaigning, exposing, and protesting, Simon Watts has finally acted. Today, the Government announced that only elected councillors will be able to vote on council committees.  That means the days of Mayors appointing teenagers (yes, seriously) or ra…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

May 28, 2026 at 2:39 AM

Budget 2026: Economy worse than expected, but Govt says surplus will come one year sooner

Hi Friend, We’re just out of the Beehive where the team have been in Budget 2026 ‘lock-up’ poring through Nicola Willis’s election year budget pack. This year’s budget will be a difficult one for the Government (or the Opposition) to frame. It’s a real mixed bag. In every Budget, there are …

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

May 26, 2026 at 10:43 PM

We’ve u-turned on Jacinda Ardern’s “Wellbeing Budget”...

Hi Friend, This time tomorrow, we’ll be headed into the Beehive Banquet Hall for the Budget “Lock-Up” where our economic team will be poring over the numbers to send you the Budget juice as soon as we’re let out at 2 pm sharp. So will Budget 2026 be about conviction, or another fudge? “A ma…

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  David Farrar · [email protected]

May 25, 2026 at 1:18 AM

The dirty little secret behind Labour’s campaign machine

Hi Friend, Imagine if the Government gave a taxpayer-funded cash bonus exclusively to members of the Taxpayers’ Union. There would be outrage. But when bureaucrats funnel taxpayer money exclusively to members of the Public Service Association (PSA) — the same union that campaigns against sp…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

May 21, 2026 at 12:56 AM

Taxpayer Update: Nicola swings the axe ✂️ | Winston wants a taxpayer bank 💸 | Hipkins’ car crash interview 🚗

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, What. A. Week. The Good: Nicola Willis borrows a leaf from your humble Taxpayers' Union. ☺️ The Bad: Winston Peters wants to buy [checks notes] the bank that nearly saw the Crown go bust in the 1990s. 💸 And the Ugly: Hipkins has a car c…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

May 12, 2026 at 2:53 AM

Taxpayer Update: Luxon grows a backbone 💪 | NEW Poll 🚨 | Palmy Mayor forced to close booze lounge 🥂

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Look, I'll be first to admit the Taxpayers' Union can be a little critical of the current Government, but in today's Taxpayer Update, it's nothing but kudos for Nicola Willis, Winston Peters, and Christopher Bishop. 🥰 This month's Taxpayers' …

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

May 7, 2026 at 5:42 AM

This proves councils are out of control

Hi Friend, If you're a ratepayer and concerned about council bosses being out of control, make sure you are sitting down before you read this email. Earlier today, a local government story broke that makes my blood boil. It’s a story we’ve been investigating — and one only exposed because of N…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

May 3, 2026 at 7:37 PM

NZ’s best & worst councils revealed (2026 rankings) 🏫

Dear Friend, 77 annual reports combed through, hundreds of official information requests filed, responses reviewed, denials appealed, plus one (as of last night) very tired local government analyst... But it's done and now live. It gives me great pleasure to present this year's edition of …

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

May 3, 2026 at 1:33 AM

Taxpayer Update: Booze, Backflips & Borrowing 💸 | Waikato Betrayal Exposed 🐍 | Debt Crisis Red Alert 🚨

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, A short work week, but a busy one. Tomorrow morning we launch the much anticipated annual Ratepayers' Report (local government league tables) exposing what town halls across the country don't want you to know. It should hit your inbox first thin…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

April 23, 2026 at 10:12 PM

A special birthday at the Taxpayers' Union 🎁

Hi Friend, Jordan doesn't know I'm sending this email (I'm sending this to just our long-time supporters), so I'm sure you’ll keep it quiet. I also hope you won’t mind that this email isn’t entirely taxpayer-focused, but I wanted to share an important birthday with you. Today, Jordan turn…

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  David Farrar · [email protected]

April 22, 2026 at 9:01 PM

Re: im worried

Dear Friend, I've seen firsthand how the Taxpayers’ Union can make a real difference when it counts. Look at the Stop Three Waters campaign. They took a complex, costly proposal that most people barely understood and turned it into a national controversy.  Jordan is right. This election will …

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

April 20, 2026 at 7:21 PM

im worried

Hi Friend, With so much going on in politics – the polls, the infighting, the rumours – I couldn't sleep.  I'm really worried about this year's election. Some polls are showing a healthy lead for the government, while others are suggesting they'll be booted out of office. And we all know wh…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

April 16, 2026 at 2:00 AM

Taxpayer Update: Disinformation from former COVID Minister 🤥 | Leaked audio from MBIE 📣 | Goldsmith's secret plan to water down OIA? 🤫

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, This week, we call out a former Labour COVID-response Minister for (ironically) disinformation, reveal a LEAKED audio recording of the now infamous "MBIE workplace waiata", and fisk the Green Party's proposed wealth tax. Plus, we'll brief you on…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

April 13, 2026 at 11:28 PM

$300k of taxpayers' money on finger painting "for forest health"

Hi Friend, Further to my email last week (copied below), today the Taxpayers' Union is revealing yet more BS, sorry, University of Auckland "science" that you and I are paying for.  Remember the objective of this taxpayer fund is to "solve and protect New Zealand's bio-diversity" – and these s…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

April 9, 2026 at 8:55 PM

Science funding to save the native trees: spent on videos games and prayers

Hi Friend, In my email last month exposing the $156,132 taxpayer-funded "science" kumara patch , I said there was more to come... Today, I want to tell you about two projects – both out of the University of Auckland, and both funded from the same "National Science Challenge" pot of taxpayer mo…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

April 6, 2026 at 11:55 PM

Taxpayer Update: Pay Gap exposed: Bureaucrats cash in 🤑 | $116k council logo rip-off 🎨 | 'Everything is awesome' podcast 🎙️

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, We’re straight into it this week with the latest Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll. NEW POLL: NZ First support surges with best-ever Taxpayers’ Union-Curia Poll result ⬆︎⬆︎⬆︎ The Government has seen a significant increase in support according to…

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  Rhys Hurley · [email protected]

April 1, 2026 at 10:35 PM

EXPOSED: MBIE paying staff for daily sing-along sessions 🎶

Hi Friend, Rhys here - I'm the investigations lead at the Taxpayers' Union. Earlier this year, it was revealed that Health New Zealand was holding compulsory "Karakia" sessions during work hours. But now, our own research has uncovered something even more absurd, this time at the Ministry o…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

March 28, 2026 at 12:57 AM

Taxpayer Update: Govt funding activism 🇵🇸 | Fuel data fiasco ⛽️ | Looming fiscal reckoning 💣

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, It’s been another busy week in the Wellington bubble: the fuel crisis has dominated , but, unfortunately, we've yet again uncovered more creative ways they're wasting your tax dollar. And just to add to the drama, a new Fiscal Reality Check …

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

March 25, 2026 at 9:22 PM

So how bad is this fuel crisis, really?

Hi Friend, Look, I’m going to be frank with you. As hard as the team are working at the moment – on the “War on Waste” investigations, protecting democratic control of local water entities, and our soon-to-be-published council league tables – right now there is an economic elephant in the roo…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

March 21, 2026 at 12:18 AM

Taxpayer Update: Congratulations Mr Hipkins 🥳 | Who sits where in Wellington City? 💼 | David Farrar on how polls work 🎙️

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, This week: golden trophies for government waste, a policy win wrung out of a Minister, our new report on the Green's proposed Wealth Tax – Green with Envy – plus the country's best political pollster sits down with Peter Williams for a podcast …

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  Porky the Waste Hater · [email protected]

March 16, 2026 at 5:31 AM

From Parliament: The 2026 Jonesie Waste Awards @ 7pm 🐷

Hi Friend, Forget the Oscars! The most anticipated red carpet awards show of the year is about to kick-off! 🏆 The 2026 Jonesies – celebrating the "Best of the Worst" of Government Waste – will be streaming from Parliament at 7 o'clock! Every year, the Taxpayers' Union come together at …

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

March 14, 2026 at 1:04 AM

Taxpayer Update: Hipkins found guilty 👨‍⚖️ | Bond markets jitter 🥶 | Fuel rationing alert system announced ⛽️

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, What a week. Not since March 2020 have we seen the carnage in the New Zealand Government bond market as we saw in the last five days. Not good. Emergency "Alert Levels" are back! It's now official, with the Beehive signalling what everyone…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

March 5, 2026 at 11:10 PM

Taxpayer Update: Former Green MP sucks the kumara 🍠 | Poll 📈 | Ministry $1m Treaty workshops 🎓 | Labour want return to Orr-inflation 🎈

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Former Green Party MP defends $156k kūmara patch - says 'more money' needed for 'Māori science' 🪏  We've been bombarded with emails on yesterday's exposé on the $156,132 "science challenge" 3 by 3 metre kūmara patch, funded through Massey Uni…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

March 5, 2026 at 2:09 AM

How much does a kumara patch cost?

Hi Friend, Remember last year when we blew the whistle on the $4 million of taxpayer money being spent on recording, remixing, and playing whale music to kauri trees to (apparently) 'soothe and cure' kauri dieback? Well, Friend, if that made your blood boil, you're not going to like this email…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

February 28, 2026 at 3:12 AM

Taxpayers’ Update: MPs squirm 🥶 | Hipkins' $12.8b Fantasy 🦄 | 103 ways to cut rates ✂️ | Defence force orders woke 🫡

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, Sometimes politicians complain about the Taxpayers' Union. 90 percent of the time, it means we're right on target in holding them to account... And this week was no different. MPs squirm as Taxpayers' Union drop truth bombs to Budget Comm…

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  Tory Relf · [email protected]

February 21, 2026 at 3:53 AM

Taxpayer Update: 3 new taxes in 3 weeks 🤦‍♂️ | Unscrambling Wgtn's spaghetti 🍝 | $550 subsidy per fan to bring Australians to Eden Park 🏉

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Hi Friend, For a "no new taxes" Government, the politicians in Wellington are sure making it hard to love 'em! This week, a new string of new taxes, sorry levies, emerged. But it's not all bad news in today's Taxpayer Update. Let's get into it. H…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

February 13, 2026 at 1:04 AM

Re: The new tax on water - that no one is talking about

Hi Friend, I wanted to give you a progress update on our campaign to pull the plug on the "Water Tax" contained in the Government's replacement laws for the Resource Management Act. Peter's email below caused a bit of a stir in Wellington. And after the self-inflicted damage the Government did…

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  Peter Williams · [email protected]

February 10, 2026 at 10:28 PM

The new tax on water - that no one is talking about

Dear Friend,  Peter Williams here.  I really didn't want to write this email. When I look at the political polls and see how close it is, I despair. But this issue is too important to ignore – or avoid holding the National Party to account on. Unless we act now, the door is being thrown…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

February 9, 2026 at 2:31 AM

Taxpayer Update: Shock Poll 😱 | Drag queen wigs for Samoa 🇼🇸 | Cow-sheds are now 'regional infrastructure' 🐄

📌 View Online  | 🚀 Share on Facebook Happy Monday Friend, A shock poll result, MBIE's secrecy on the costs of sending staff to do degrees off-shore, news that half the Provincial Growth Fund (yeah, that one...)'s loans are in default, and the Taxpayers' Union expose Creative New Zealand spend…

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  Jordan Williams · [email protected]

February 5, 2026 at 11:12 PM

Waitangi Day isn’t just about politics

Kia ora Friend, If you saw yesterday's Taxpayer Update , you’ll know we’ve been keeping a close eye on the modern Waitangi ritual – politicians flying in, press releases rolling out, and tens of millions of dollars in so-called “gifts” being handed over at taxpayers’ expense. That stuff deserv…

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