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New Zealand Taxpayers' Union - Latest News [Page 7]
Tauranga Council’s $125m Office Fit For Wall Street, Not Main Street
Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 12:51 pm | Taxpayers' Union
Council staff already enjoy perks like $100,000 life insurance, bonus annual leave, and subsidised bus cards. Now they’re adding $470,000 in coffee machines and a Wall Street-style fit-out on the ratepayer tab. More >>
The Rates Freeze Reset Wellington Desperately Needs
Wednesday, 16 April 2025, 9:51 am | Taxpayers' Union
Ray Chung is putting a stake in the ground and saying the Council should live within its means. Ratepayers aren’t an ATM, and Wellington’s had enough of being shaken down to fund consultants and vanity projects. More >>
$5.2 Million Consultant Spend Unacceptable As Cost Blowouts Grow
Tuesday, 15 April 2025, 10:52 am | Taxpayers' Union
Every dollar spent needs to stand up to scrutiny and, right now, local ratepayers simply cannot afford these kinds of white elephants. More >>
Big Council Doesn’t Always Mean Better Council: Amalgamation On The Cards
Tuesday, 15 April 2025, 9:49 am | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
Sam Warren, Local Government Campaigns Manager for the Taxpayers’ Union, said: “Better collaboration between councils to find efficiencies for both service and infrastructure delivery is certainly encouraged, so long as they reduce the burden ... More >>
REVEALED: Department Of The Prime Minister And Cabinet Caught With Its Tabs Down
Monday, 14 April 2025, 1:39 pm | Taxpayers' Union
The response confirms the incidents occurred across multiple months in 2024, with a particularly high concentration in May (5), June (4), and July (7) — suggesting a consistent pattern of misuse rather than one-off mistakes. More >>
Dunedin Council Tight-Lipped On Salary For Missing Deputy Chief
Monday, 14 April 2025, 12:28 pm | Taxpayers' Union
Concerns for privacy has a legitimate place, but right now it looks more like an excuse than a reason. Council must prove otherwise and stop treating public accountability as an optional extra. More >>
End Of Term For Kāhui Ako – Time To Expel This Failed Scheme
Monday, 14 April 2025, 12:27 pm | Taxpayers' Union
In 2023, just 22 percent of Year 8 students met the expected standard in Maths, and only 47 percent in Reading. If Kāhui Ako were a student, it’d be repeating the year. More >>
REVEALED: Scootergate – Defence's $32,800 Joyride On The Taxpayer Dime
Thursday, 10 April 2025, 3:51 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“The Defence Force has just been handed a $12 billion funding plan. If this is the starting point, taxpayers should buckle up — it’s going to be a rough ride.” More >>
No-Show Nick” – Gisborne Councillor Misses More Than Half His Meetings
Thursday, 10 April 2025, 3:49 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“His absence highlights a massive problem with standing orders. If the Local Government Act doesn’t effectively address a councillor’s truancy, it needs to change.” More >>
OCR Cut, But New Zealand Far From Out Of The Woods
Wednesday, 9 April 2025, 3:07 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
If Nicola Willis doesn’t put Full Capital Expensing at the heart of a cost-cutting, pro-growth Budget next month, New Zealand will stay stuck on the path of managed decline. More >>
Nicola Willis’ New Procurement Rules Won’t Pull Wool Over Taxpayers’ Eyes
Wednesday, 9 April 2025, 1:21 pm | Taxpayers' Union
“The Government need to stop trying to pull the wool over taxpayers’ eyes with low-effort spin like this, and get serious about cutting costs and boosting productivity.” More >>
Green Gravy Train Starting To Derail — But The Job’s Not Done
Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 4:40 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“Credit where it’s due, scrapping this expensive and ineffective green slush fund is a huge win for taxpayers,” Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman James Ross said. More >>
Ōtorohanga District Council Treating Accountability Like A Threat
Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 2:52 pm | Taxpayers' Union
Local government exists to serve the public, so ratepayers have every right to see official information without wading through the spin doctor treatment. More >>
If The Government Wants To Spend Up On Defence, Show Us The Savings
Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 1:58 pm | Taxpayers' Union
While the PM has claimed ‘we can afford this’, he has yet to explain where this extra $9 billion of defence spending has been magicked up from. More >>
Tariffs Mean Need To Announce Full Capital Expensing Now
Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 1:31 pm | Taxpayers' Union
We need action—not talk. The Government should announce full capital expensing today to buck the global trend and boost New Zealand’s economy, Taxpayers’ Union Spokesman, Rhys Hurley said. More >>
‘Tauranga Doesn’t Need More Debt!’ - Borrowing Limit Increased For Tauranga City Council
Tuesday, 8 April 2025, 10:40 am | Taxpayers' Union
More to the point, why can't Council live within its means under the current borrowing limit by cutting expenditure on items that aren't essential infrastructure? More >>
‘Should Put It To A Public Referendum’ Tauranga Proceeds With Māori Wards By-election
Monday, 7 April 2025, 1:16 pm | Taxpayers' Union
“Mayor Mahé Drysdale has labelled this an exercise of local democracy. Let’s call it what it is—undemocratic by its definition.” More >>
New Poll: Centre-Right Bounce Back, Could Now Form Government
Friday, 4 April 2025, 1:21 pm | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
The poll, conducted between 29 March and 01 April, shows National is effectively static, down 0.1 points to 33.5 percent, while Labour is down 4.3 points from last month to 29.8 percent. More >>
More Savings In Contract Changes Than Cutting Kāinga Ora Staff
Friday, 4 April 2025, 11:47 am | New Zealand Taxpayers' Union
“But the real savings don’t come from trimming staff—they come from fixing the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) contracts so they’re bankable: safe and predictable enough for banks to confidently lend against.” More >>
Don’t Make Congestion Charging A Cash Cow
Thursday, 3 April 2025, 12:59 pm | Taxpayers' Union
Congestion charging is great in theory to ease traffic and improve productivity, only if it’s managed properly and not used as an excuse to double-dip and squeeze more money out of motorists. More >>
