The Campaign Plan for 2025
2024/25 Annual Review
When we hosted the then-newly elected Prime Minister, he was asked how the Taxpayers’ Union can help him to deliver the reforms New Zealand needs to ‘get back on track’. He told us to
“Be Louder ”
The Taxpayers’ Union, established in 2013 by David Farrar and Jordan Williams, is a not-for-profit citizens’ group dedicated to Lower Taxes, Less Waste, and More Accountability
With the support of 204,000 registered members and supporters – that’s about one-in-fourteen New Zealand voters –we proudly stand as the most widely embraced centre-right pressure group in New Zealand. In fact, our union has more subscribed supporters per capita than any taxpayer group in the Englishspeaking world.
The Vision: A prosperous, low-tax New Zealand with efficient, transparent and democratically accountable government
Our mission resonates with the public, and our creative grassroots-style campaigning has tangible impact on public policy.
Nestled just a stone’s throw from Parliament on Wellington’s Lambton Quay, our headquarters serve as the heartbeat of our campaign operations. We also have a presence in Auckland, where our fundraising, development, and local government teams primarily work.
We maintain a constant presence in the media landscape, fielding interviews, and responding to requests
for comment – always ensuring the taxpayer’s perspective is out there to balance all the special interests calling on politicians to spend evermore of your money.
Moreover, our representatives champion taxpayers’ rights through speaking engagements, presentations to government bodies, meetings with politicians, and the organisation of petition drives, events, and campaigns.
Every New Zealand taxpayer who shares our vision is encouraged to join us as a supporter, at no cost.
NEW ZEALAND TAXPAYERS’ UNION
04 495 7914
team@taxpayers.org.nz www.taxpayers.org.nz
Facebook.com/TaxpayersUnion
@TaxpayersUnion
Wellington Office
Level 4, 117 Lambton Quay Wellington 6011
PO Box 10518, Wellington 6011
Auckland Office
Unit 6, 143 Quay Street, Auckland 1010
AUCKLAND RATEPAYERS’ ALLIANCE
09 281 5172
team@ratepayers.nz
www.ratepayers.nz
Facebook.com/ratepayersalliance @Akldratepayers
PO Box 133099 Eastridge, Auckland 1146
The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union is a member of World Taxpayers Associations – the global network of more than 60 taxpayer protection groups working together for lower taxes, limited and accountable government, and taxpayer rights all over the world.
WELLINGTON RATEPAYERS’ ALLIANCE
Team@wellingtonratepayers.nz
www.wellingtonratepayers.nz
Facebook.com/wellingtonratepayers
@Wgtnratepayers
PO Box 10518, Wellington 6011
TAURANGA RATEPAYERS’ ALLIANCE
Team@taurangaratepayers.nz
www.taurangaratepayers.nz
Facebook.com/TaurangaRatepayers
Please scan the QR code to make a donation by credit card.
INTERNET BANKING: NZ Taxpayers’ Union Inc 03-0539-0390321-00
The Taxpayers’ Union is the most effective political group outside of Parliament. Our pressure-group model, and incredible subscriber numbers, means we can shift the dial on public opinion, and force the decision makers to respond.
Jordan and I founded the Taxpayers’ Union in 2013 to stand up for hardworking taxpayers like you by fighting for better value for our tax dollars. A key part of that is uncovering and publicly exposing government waste – and the team are in the media doing so, almost every day of the year.
This document highlights some of the work by the Taxpayers’ Union over the last 18 months, and sets out the campaign plans for 2025.
The Taxpayers’ Union, like all pressure groups, relies on changing public policy by changing the hearts and minds of New Zealanders to influence the political process.
We are not a think tank. We rely on the good wholesale work done by traditional think tanks and industry groups but communicate the ideas to a much wider retail audience.
Therefore, as a political “battle tank” our value is our ability to influence the public debate, and the politicians who must respond to it. Our target market isn’t the intellectual elite in Wellington – we are here to capture the talkback audience.
We continue to enjoy more grassroots support, than any other centre-right cause in New Zealand. In fact, on a per capita basis, the Taxpayers’ Union has the largest email subscriber list of all taxpayer associations in the Englishspeaking world. One-in-fourteen voters subscribe to the Union’s weekly Taxpayer Update emails.
As trust in media (and viewership) continues to erode, the Taxpayers’ Union will have an even greater role in keeping the public informed and engaged with political and policy processes, and even sometimes stepping into the role of the “fourth estate”.
In 2023, we changed our mission from Lower Taxes, Less Waste, More Transparency to: Lower Taxes, Less Waste, More Accountability. That was in response to the Jacinda Ardern Government moving to introduce more and more so-called ‘co-governance’.
As democrats, we believe that cogovernance (and other unelected appointments in lieu of democratically accountable decision-makers) is not a recipe for a prosperous society.
So, as well as fighting to protect New Zealand’s status as a first world economy, the Board made the deliberate decision to also fight to protect New Zealand’s status as a first world liberal democracy.
An example of this advocacy was the successful ‘Stop Three Waters’ campaign.
When that campaign was launched, no one was willing to fight it for fear of being slurred with accusations regularly made against those who express concerns about co-governance.
I am proud that, not only did the Taxpayers’ Union rise to the challenge and take it on, it did so in an intellectually honest way – leading with the economics (‘higher water costs’) and fighting for democratic accountability, rather than simply against race-based provisions. We won that campaign comprehensively, and with no help from our friends in the media.
New Government and the opportunities afoot
Of course, it will take more than just the change of Government to correct course. National, and its coalition partners still face heated opposition from the public service, most of the media, taxpayer-funded quangos, and the industry of consultants hanging onto the edges of Wellington.
That is why whoever is in power will have their feet held to the fire by the Taxpayers’ Union.
But a centre-right Government means that rather than just fighting bad policies, the Taxpayers’ Union can champion good ones for the Government to adopt. We are already seeing this bear fruit and I would expect it to continue.
But the continued existence of the Taxpayers’ Union is never guaranteed. Like most advocacy not-for-profits around the world, seldom does the Union have more than a few months’ money in the bank. It is, quite literally, reliant on the goodwill of supporters like you who understand the value and importance of the work, the mission, and our shared vision for a prosperous, low-tax New Zealand with efficient, transparent and democratically accountable government.
Thank you for making the work possible.
David Farrar Co-founder
Unless pushed, it is clear the Luxon-Government isn’t willing to spend the political capital necessary to ensure New Zealand’s long-term prosperity. Our job is to push them.
Unless New Zealand changes course, our kids won’t have the opportunities that previous generations took for granted. Our best and brightest will up-sticks, and not return.
It was this fear that led David and I to found the organisation eleven years ago, and the motivation remains the same today.
Decades of lack-lustre economic performance, almost no productivity growth, and worsening social statistics, and more recently a drive toward racebased civil rights is nothing short of scary.
But the Taxpayers’ Union is making a difference. We successfully fought back on the very worst of the Ardern-era policy (we “Axed the Tax” on her capital gains initiative, and “Stopped Three Waters”) but this year the real work started.
Our economy is on a fragile footing, with public finances under strain.
This fiscal year, Wellington has borrowed a million dollars every hour. That’s even faster than Grant Robertson – despite what the media would have you believe about public service ‘cuts’.
This is a pivotal moment for New Zealand, where tough decisions on fiscal responsibility can either be made now or postponed yet again. We’ve seen what happens when pressing issues are ignored—debt rises, economic growth stalls, and taxpayers are left footing the bill. The stakes are too high to allow this cycle to continue.
The only true tax cut is a cut to government spending. First and foremost, the role of the Taxpayers’ Union is to remind the public just how poor government tends to be at spending other people’s money.
But even with fiscal restraint, we have to get the economy back to per capita growth again, if New Zealand is to avoid becoming merely Australia’s poor cousin.
History has shown us that meaningful economic reform doesn’t happen by itself. It requires a strong, unyielding voice outside of Parliament to keep those in power accountable and focused on the promises they made.
The political landscape is rife with special interests, and without independent voices like ours, the Government risks being swayed by them, diverting from the course that would ensure a prosperous and democratic New Zealand. Our mission is to make sure that our country isn’t just moving away from the missteps of the past but is advancing towards a future where economic freedom and democratic integrity are upheld.
Repealing the policies from the Ardern years is, in many ways, the easy part. True progress demands more than simply undoing what’s been done; it requires bold, well-considered reform that resonates with everyday New Zealanders. Achieving this is no small task. Political reform must be packaged in a way that garners public trust and support, and that’s where the Taxpayers’ Union has its essential role to play.
With the next election less than two years away, the clock is ticking. Every day that passes makes meaningful reform harder. The inertia of office, the pressures of political expediency, and the accumulating ‘barnacles’ of status quo policies threaten to derail the transformative changes New Zealand needs.
The media, too, often lean heavily in one direction, placing an even greater responsibility on organisations like ours to balance the debate and ensure the voice of the taxpayer is heard loud and clear.
With one-in-fourteen voters subscribed to our email updates, the Taxpayers’ Union has become a crucial counterweight to media bias, reaching New Zealanders directly and cutting through the noise.
Our work is also more urgent than ever at the local government level, where costs continue to spiral, and oversight is lacking. We are the only organisation relentlessly advocating for accountability and fiscal responsibility within local councils, where every dollar saved can make a meaningful difference in our communities.
We are committed to holding the Government to its promises and to pushing for the reforms that will shape a stronger, fairer New Zealand. This is our pledge to you, our supporters: we will continue to be the voice of reason, the advocate for accountability, and the champion of fiscal discipline, ensuring that New Zealand’s future is one of true prosperity and freedom.
Jordan Williams Co-founder
Our anonymous online tip line enables anyone to blow the whistle on government waste. Members of the public can send us examples they have seen
We file more requests under the Official Information Act and Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act than any other organisation in New Zealand. While only a small proportion of our requests result in a media story, each and every one reminds officials that there is someone looking over their shoulder at what they spend your money on.
We work with economists, industry and outside experts to ensure our work is accurate, authentic, and hard hitting. In addition to our in-house economist, researchers, and research fellow, our external advisors include numerous former senior Treasury, Inland Revenue, and Reserve Bank officials.
We produce reports and briefing papers on taxation and other areas of public policy based on original research and literature reviews with detailed analysis. Unlike traditional think tanks though, our reports provide the evidential basis and lay the foundations for our campaigns.
Our spokespeople appear on national radio and TV news bulletins on a weekly basis. We maintain a loud presence on a wide range of media channels including
Journalists know that they can get a comment from us at any time of day or night when a story breaks. We issue several reactive press releases every day to ensure that the perspective of the hardworking taxpayer is never forgotten.
We commission monthly polling from Curia on the state of the political parties and particular policies. This allows us to demonstrate that our positions are not only good public policy, but garner widespread public support too.
Our social media presence is designed to recruit support with ‘calls to action’ such as petitions and submission tools that build our support base, spread the message and allow Kiwis to make their voices heard.
Our regular engagement with MPs, ministers and government officials seeks to build support for improvements to public policy. We also make submissions to our select committees and develop tools to make it easier for our supporters to do so too.
No one has a monopoly on good ideas. We often work with other groups from across the political spectrum from both here and overseas to build broader support for our policy objectives.
Our volunteers across the country are key to our effectiveness; delivering petition cards, hosting yard signs, and amplifying our messages.
We take our messages out to people across New Zealand through our regular attendance at Fieldays and agricultural shows as well as our nationwide roadshow tours for our large-scale campaigns.
“We produce reports and briefing papers on taxation and other areas of public policy based on original research and literature reviews with detailed analysis. Unlike traditional think tanks though, our reports provide the evidential basis and lay the foundations for our campaigns.
Peter Williams
sharing sensitive taxpayer information with social media companies
Give elected councillors the rights to access information about their councils
of
The Taxpayers’ Union could be viewed as an organisation of contradictions. Our staff lean young, while our board (all volunteers) reflect the Taxpayers’ Union’s campaign style of ‘fun but thoughtful’.
It’s no secret that a lot of former staff and Board members have gone on to senior roles within government. A former Taxpayers’ Union Chair is now a Cabinet Minister, and we count nearly a dozen of our alumni in roles across the Beehive and Parliament.
In fact, a Chief of Staff of one of the Governing Parties recently commented to me that they see the Taxpayers’ Union as “the nursery of talent” for future policy, political, campaigning, and communications experts on the centre-right.
A Chief of Staff of one of the Governing Parties recently commented to me that they see the Taxpayers’ Union as “the nursery of talent” for future policy, political, campaigning, and communications experts on the centre-right.
Hon Ruth Richardson
The War on Waste is the backbone of our activity. It reminds the public that they are better stewards of their hard-earned money than wasteful politicians and bureaucrats.
In a climate of media accusations that Government is being ‘cut to the bone’ the War on Waste demonstrates to the electorate that the Government could do more with less if they simply stopped wasting taxpayer money.
We encourage political and government insiders to ‘dob in’ examples of government waste and extravagance using our confidential tip line. Many of our best stories come from sources within government, including bureaucrats frustrated with waste and inefficiency.
The greatest challenge faced by Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis is right-sizing the Government
Right now, Nicola Willis is borrowing at a faster rate than Grant Robertson. Instead of cutting spending, Budget 2024 actually increased on the COVID-era moneygo-round.
Despite decades of warnings about the long-term challenges of an ageing population – a ballooning health bill, superannuation entitlement costs, and a proportionately smaller workforce – successive Finance Ministers have kicked the can down the road.
The advice to Nicola Willis from The Treasury could not be clearer: New Zealand is running a large structural deficit. That means that, unless the Government reforms its fiscal settings, the Government will continue to run deficits, even when the economy recovers.
The status quo is simply not sustainable. The longer Wellington dithers, the worse it will become and the more difficult the trade-offs.
Right now, the Finance Minister is borrowing at a faster rate than Grant Robertson. Instead of cutting spending, Budget 2024 actually increased on the COVID-era money-go-round.
In fact, Nicola Willis’ pathway back to surplus, that Treasury has to take at her word, relies on heroic assumptions about new spending and growth in future years, and stealthily increasing the tax take via inflation-caused fiscal drag.
Ironically, these are the very mischiefs Nicola Willis criticised Grant Robertson for when she was Opposition Finance Spokesperson.
The media have convinced themselves that all is well and that the Government has achieved meaningful ‘cuts’ to Labour’s largesse.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
But reform depends on the public understanding the urgency and the need for the Government to take difficult decisions now to protect the country’s future – ensuring debt is controlled, and spending is aligned with sustainable growth.
The role of the Taxpayers’ Union is to communicate economist’s long-winded summaries into retail politics.
Therefore, as much as possible, we present government debt and spending figures on a ‘per household’ basis, and use props like the National Debt Clock, Debt Monster, and online infographics to get the message home.
Tackling the structural deficit is not just sound policy; it’s a commitment to a stable, prosperous future for New Zealand.
New Zealand’s future demands more than short-term solutions and reactive policy changes; it calls for a bold vision where growth consistently exceeds three percent.
We fool ourselves that we are not still in recession. Economic growth is not even matching rates of migration. Right now, New Zealand is in the longest per capita recession in recorded history.
When was the last time you heard a politician speak about achieving five percent growth?
Economic growth is not a luxury—it’s a necessity. Since the reform period ended in the mid-1990s, our economy has been held back by structural weaknesses that stifle productivity, discourage investment, and undermine our competitiveness.
When was the last time you heard a politician speak about achieving five percent growth? As Minister of
Our themes for policy reform promotion through the next 12 months are:
Productivity is the engine of prosperity. In too many sectors we are a lowinvestment, low-productivity nation. Capital investment is the lifeblood of productivity, equipping businesses with the tools, technology, and infrastructure necessary to compete globally. Without sufficient capital flows into New Zealand, we limit our workforce’s potential and leave ourselves vulnerable to stagnation. It’s time to prioritise policies that open doors for capital investment and foster a thriving, productive economy that can stand toeto-toe with the best in the world.
The Resource Management Act is New Zealand’s largest regulatory tax. It has driven the housing affordability crisis and created a ‘can’t do’ culture, especially for large projects.
Successive National-led Governments have committed to replace the RMA but no one has done the detailed work on the alternative.
The Taxpayers’ Union must hold the Government to its word and ensure that what is delivered is more than the temporary fix of the ‘fast track’ regime.
If the Government delivers an alternative to the RMA that is based on property rights and a can-do approach, it will almost certainly be the biggest ‘tax cut’ and unleashing of New Zealand’s economic potential in a generation.
Finance, facing high inflation and dismal government finances, Hon. Ruth Richardson actually achieved it! New Zealand can, and must, do it again.
Hon. John Key used to talk about catching up with Australia. We need to re-inject that sort of vision into the public debate if voters are to demand from the Government (and Opposition) policy measures that improve New Zealand’s prosperity.
Unless we shift gears, measures that ‘divide the pie’ such as Capital Gains Taxes, or Wealth Taxes, rather than grow it, will become inevitable.
New Zealand’s tax system acts as a deterrent to wealth creation and investment. We need a tax structure that positions us as a magnet for global capital rather than a system that drives it offshore.
This means eliminating the barriers that prevent high-net-worth individuals and global investors from choosing New Zealand as a place to build and invest.
We need to shift the debate from introducing new taxes on capital, to how New Zealand can reform our income tax system to compete globally and attract the financial resources that fuel innovation and job creation.
The failure to deliver robust infrastructure is a failure to deliver growth. It impedes business, increases costs, and erodes competitiveness.
But simply spending more won’t fix the problem unless better ‘bang for buck’ can be achieved. Among other things, health and safety and planning rules are making what ought to be affordable, unachievable. Until that is fixed, New Zealand will continue to lag behind.
New Zealand’s employment laws prevent employers from swiftly addressing underperformance and
act as a major barrier to the pursuit of excellence. In their current form, these laws enable an entrenched managerial class that is not accountable for results.
Figures like Elon Musk or Steve Jobs would have struggled in New Zealand: unable to implement transformative visions in an employment relations framework designed to protect the status quo.
Once an employee is high-earning, employment law should prioritise productivity, accountability, and performance, and empower organisations—both public and private—to make the personnel decisions that drive success.
Each of these reform themes lays the groundwork for a strong, resilient economy. Real prosperity isn’t handed down; it’s built on policy decisions that foster growth, productivity, and competitiveness. New Zealand deserves nothing less than the best chance at a prosperous future, and that requires unyielding commitment to both ‘go for growth’ and the policy changes to make success possible.
Of all our policy victories over the years, the biggest contribution the Taxpayers’ Union has made to the New Zealand political landscape was the Stop Three Waters campaign.
But it wasn’t the Stopping of Three Waters’ itself, rather the Taxpayers’ Union enabled the debate New Zealanders were desperate to have, but couldn’t: a debate on whether unelected, unaccountable ‘cogovernance’ was an acceptable model for New Zealand to embrace.
The Taxpayers’ Union believes in democratic accountability and went to considerable effort under the last Government to defend and promote democratic values against special interests promoting alternative methods of governance and control based on special privilege.
Our campaigns in these areas are informed by solid market research and message development/testing. We know we won middle New Zealand over on Three Waters by focusing on the economics (higher water costs!) and promoting the virtues of local democratic control rather than a straight “Stop Co-Governance” line of attack.
While the Government’s two coalition partners have differing views on how best to tackle race-based issues, the role of the Taxpayers’ Union is clear: ensure the political leaders deliver on their pre-election promises to protect and promote democracy.
We are already seeing signs of backsliding by some in the coalition government. Special interest lobbying has seen ‘special consultation’ privileges in the ‘fast track’ legislation – similar to the rights John Key’s Government favoured which ultimately led to the path taken by the Ardern/ Mahuta era.
New Zealand needs the Government to get the genie back into the bottle and firmly establish democratic accountability and equity before the law if the country is to avoid an economic future hobbled by rent-seeking.
The Taxpayers’ Union is the only permanent presence holding the flame to the feet of local government. 2024 saw the first of what we expect to be a long list of policy victories and reform designed to improve the institutional checks, and promote better governance of town halls.
In a recent speech to the local government association (LGNZ) Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the very local government reforms the Taxpayers’ Union has been calling for, for a decade.
To come are measures to restrict the role (and spending scope) of local councils, and measures to better equip locally elected officials to better do their job of governing what are now large and complex organisations.
The Taxpayers’ Union has been the sole voice calling for local councillors to be granted rights to access information akin to company directors. After all, how can we expect good governance and accountability when elected officials are dependant on Council CEOs and their staff to assess what information elected officials can and cannot access.
The Government has indicated it’s open to ideas on how to better benchmark performance and improve local accountability. The Taxpayers’ Union will certainly be taking the opportunity!
Since 2014, the Taxpayers’ Union has published local government league tables comparing the finances of every territorial authority and unitary council on a per household basis.
Our Ratepayers’ Report methodology was adopted by Stats NZ for the purposes of their own rates calculations as part of the CPI, and local councils tell us they even use the information for benchmarking.
The average rates bill increased by fifteen percent in 2024 alone. And while local councils try to claim it’s all needed to fund infrastructure, the fact is growth in recent decades has all been on the operational (as opposed to capital) spending.
Enough is enough. We say it is time to import the ‘rates cap’ policies from Australia (that limit rates to inflation) or the UK (which limit rate hikes to four percent) without referenda.
Adoption of universal accounting policy
A simple but important reform championed by the Taxpayers’ Union is requiring councils to adopt a shared set of expense classifications and accounting policies.
It is extremely difficult to measure councils against each other when some appear to deliberately ensure that apples can only be measured against oranges. It’s an easy fix.
New Zealand is increasingly an outlier in having no ability to recall wayward politicians. Rather than rely on government-initiated observers and commissioners, we say local ratepayers should be able to petition to recall local councillors and mayors.
When Hastings District Council decided to appoint unelected ‘Youth Councillors’ as full voting members to Council Committees, the Taxpayers’ Union sprung into gear.
We held a fictitious public Committee Meeting outside the Council’s offices in an age appropriate ‘bouncy council’ which drew national media attention to the issue.
At the very time Hastings locals need adult decision makers to grapple with difficult financial issues (caused by Cyclone Gabrielle), the Mayor and councillors are acting like children by appointing teenagers to make important decisions.
Very quickly, the decision was rolled back, with youth councillors being appointed to some committees on
an issue-by-issue basis. The Taxpayers’ Union stunt has given other councils reason to pause in their attempts to appoint unelected bodies onto their own committees to change the balance of votes.
Local voices:
Ratepayers’ Alliance
We operate three distinct ‘Ratepayers Alliance’ brands in Auckland and Tauranga, and recently launched the same in Wellington.
Like the Taxpayers’ Union parent, the Ratepayers’ Alliance expose waste and champions better spending but tends to attract audiences who are not necessarily inclined to our national/ Taxpayers’ Union campaigns.
Recognising the very best – of the worst – in government waste with an awards ceremony hosted at Parliament.
The Jonesies serve as a reminder to anyone handling public money: Rein in wasteful spending, or prepare to see your name on the big screen at our next awards show.
Each year we hold an Oscars-style award ceremony at Parliament to celebrate the most wasteful spenders of taxpayer money from the last 12 months.
Behind the scenes, politicians and bureaucrats are busy splurging your hard-earned money on a whole array of bizarre vanity projects with seemingly no consequences.
The Jonesies serve as a reminder to anyone handling public money: Rein in wasteful spending, or prepare to see your name on the big screen at our next awards show.
Despite burning through $2.76 million and 26,000 hours of work on the extermination of wild wallabies, Otago Regional Council managed to ‘destroy’ (their words not ours) just 18 of them.
At a price per kill of over 153,000, It would’ve been cheaper to send them one by one back to Australia on a private jet!
The Ministry hosted a $40,000 farewell bash for its former CEO, Leauanae Laulu Mac Leauanae. The breakdown of the expenses included $7,500 on gifts, $3,000 on photographers, ceremonial drummers and flowers plus an extra $7,000 travel and accommodation for specific attendees.
It was so wasteful, even the Public Service Commissioner called Leauanae out on it, who has since repaid the $7,500 in gifts.
Achievement Award in Government Waste
In August 2022, Clarke, former Chief Executive (CE) of Toitū te Waiora managed to rack up a bill of $6,325 on one work trip to Sydney.
Over the course of the trip, he managed to get through lobster feasts and calamari canapés, daily late-night taxi rides, and room service charges at his four-star hotel.
In one instance, Clarke indulged in an extravagant seafood dinner, followed by a taxi ride at 3:36 am to his hotel, only to leave for the airport just three hours later to charge $80 for access to Singapore Airlines’ luxury sky lounge.
In just the first 11 months as Chief Executive, Clarke spent $72,862.03 on his taxpayer-funded credit card – more than double the amount of his five CE counterparts combined.
Clarke lasted barely a year at the agency before an employment dispute saw him spend six months on paid leave before resigning with a financial settlement.
It’s no surprise that the left dominates university campuses – the centre right barely turns up, and young people are simply not exposed to the ideas of freedom, classical liberal economics and self-responsibility.
Based on the successful efforts of our sister-group, the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation, 2025 will see the fullscale launch of our on-campus brand, GenScrewed.
GenScrewed is to counter the ideas of the left that capitalism has robbed young people of their future. In fact, free markets, free trade, and capitalism have enabled the current generation to enjoy economic prosperity. The risks (i.e. “You’re Screwed!”) is due to unaffordable housing (caused by overregulation of land supply) unfunded and unaffordable entitlements for an ageing population, and ultimately a burden of government, and government debt that put New Zealand’s prosperity at risk.
In Canada, GenScrewed is now the most popular on-campus club in Quebec! If it can be done in the hotbed of French-speaking North American socialism, we can stake our own mark on New Zealand campuses!
With New Zealand’s universities dominated by the left, we are often approached by enthusiastic, like-minded university students wanting help to develop their public policy, advocacy, and research skills.
You can ensure the next generation of young leaders are properly armed to take on those trained by the student and industrial unions.
If you would like to sponsor an intern, or make a legacy gift towards developing the leaders of tomorrow, please contact our Development Manager, Michelle van der Veer, on 027 226 0868.
Rhys Hurley Researcher (Investigations)
Rhys is a student research intern. He is currently in his third year at Victoria University, undertaking a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. Rhys helps with day-to-day investigations into government waste and council idiocracy to shine sunlight on those areas that politicians and officials wish remained behind closed doors.
Noemi Leinfellner Intern (Former)
Noemi is a former research intern, working at the Taxpayers’ Union during 2023 and early 2024. She is currently undertaking a conjoint degree in Law and a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Philosophy and History. Noemi left the Taxpayers’ Union internship to join the Minister of Local Government, Simeon Brown’s office as a Researcher.
Dan Merry Intern (Former) Dan was one of our student research interns. He is currently undertaking a BA in Philosophy, Politics and International Relations. His roles included following up on the tip-line, social media, and policy research.
Regan Sayer Intern (Former)
Regan was a part-time research intern, who is recently completed his Master’s thesis at Victoria University of Wellington, studying project design and agriculture in Tonga and improving the commercial viability of community farms. Before joining the Taxpayers’ Union, he worked on housing projects and improving water access in Cambodia.
Rhys Budge Intern (Former)
Rhys Budge interned at the Taxpayers’ Union from November 2023 until January 2024. He came over to New Zealand from Australia via the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation. He is currently finishing his Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Economics and Finance at Curtin University in Perth, Australia.
1,452 Media Mentions
200,000+ Subscribed Supporters that’s one-in-14 voters receiving our emailed updates!
30 Roadshow stops on our campaign against David Parker’s resource management reforms
15 Episodes of our podcast, Taxpayer Talk
21,368 donations for grassroots supporters
10 Published reports
1.2M Facebook reach
6 Major policy victories
16 Submissions on legislation and government consultations.
You have the opportunity to influence New Zealand’s politics for the better and guide our organisation’s work and priorities.
We only exist because enough New Zealanders want their voice heard Left leaning media personalities, big unions, big corporations and government-funded special interest groups can be challenged by the contributions of thousands of individual taxpayers who care to make a difference.
You can’t save the world if you can’t keep the lights on Government-funded special interest groups have a voice. What about the taxpayers who pay for all of this? Whether taxpayers have a voice is in the hands of those who voluntarily donate and support the Taxpayers’ Union.
Our track record shows that we can deliver Pushing back against wasteful spending, opposing corporate welfare handouts, fighting new taxes and shining the light on local government has produced results. Your donation makes sure taxpayer concerns are heard by decision makers.
New Zealand needs a strong voice for fiscal restraint more than ever
Right now, an incredible $1 million an hour is being borrowed on behalf of future taxpayers. That money will need to be paid back, with interest. New Zealand needs a strong voice for fiscal restraint now more than ever.
Can we count on your support?
We have a long list of projects and campaigning lined up to hold this Government to account and uncover wasteful spending. But it won’t happen without your support, and the support of others like you, digging deep and making the work of the Taxpayers’ Union possible.
Laurence Kubiak Chairman
What is the Taxpayer Caucus?
We acknowledge the additional support received from a small group of invested New Zealanders, who give $1,500 or more per year. Caucus members are invited to guest speaker Taxpayer Caucus-only events, get exclusive access to our poll results and regular updates from our Board Members.
