Podcasts about taxpayers' union

Tonight on The Huddle, former Labour Chief of Staff Mike Munro and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! It's been a fiery start to the Waitangi Day event, with protestors heckling Winston Peters and David Seymour and the new Government being called 'spiders' and 'a den of lions' by Kelvin Davis. Will this sway anybody in Government from their agenda? It's come to light that taxpayers paid $340 million to subsidise EV purchases, because the subsidy was so popular and the ute tax didn't bring in enough to pay for it all. Was that a waste of money or reason for celebration? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Nick Leggett from Infrastructure NZ and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Wellington mayor Tory Whanau met with Minister Simeon Brown over the region's ongoing water issues. She says they had a good discussion but it will take a long time to fix these problems- who is to blame here? Can Wellington's water woes be addressed? Staff at a UN aid agency have been linked to Hamas- and allegedly took part in the infamous October 7th attack. Why haven't MFAT pulled funding from UNRWA, like many other nations did? David Seymour's State of the Nation address criticised the previous three Governments, claiming they changed New Zealand for the worst over the last few years. Is this a valid accusation?  Why does Auckland Anniversary need to be on January 29th?  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A suggestion that it's time to re-evaluate our approach to foreign aid to ensure it more closely aligns with our values.  The Taxpayers' Union is questioning why we're dishing out millions to countries who have state-sponsored space programmes.  Investigations Coordinator Oliver Bryan told Tim Dower that if a country can invest in these ambitious projects, it shouldn't expect to receive payments from us.   He says they would much rather our finite resources go to our neighbours in the Pacific and support things we can tangibly see making a difference.  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett joined in on discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Finance Minister Nicola Willis remains firm in her decision to scrap cost increases to the Cook Strait mega-ferries project. Does this serve as a warning to the public service around budgets for big projects? What happens next? GDP fell 0.3 percent in the three months to September - a much worse result than forecast by most economists. Does this mean New Zealand is in recession?  Buller District Council has placed a limit on how many cats residents can own- only two cats are permitted per household. What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Infrastructure NZ Chief Executive Nick Leggett joined in on discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Finance Minister Nicola Willis remains firm in her decision to scrap cost increases to the Cook Strait mega-ferries project. Does this serve as a warning to the public service around budgets for big projects? What happens next? GDP fell 0.3 percent in the three months to September - a much worse result than forecast by most economists. Does this mean New Zealand is in recession?  Buller District Council has placed a limit on how many cats residents can own- only two cats are permitted per household. What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Police Minister Mark Mitchell has released a letter of expectations for Police Commissioner Andrew Coster. The pair seem to be unified about these expectations- can Coster meet these standards?  Foreign Minister Winston Peters has today put forward a motion calling for those involved in the conflict to take urgent steps towards a ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hamas. What did we think of Luxon's response? Treasury has criticised Labour's 'underfunded' plan for transport. Does this cement the previous Government's legacy of non-delivery? Taylor Swift has been named Time magazine's Person of the Year- did she deserve it? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers' Union is offering to redesign the logos of Government departments for free, after becoming concerned about the potential cost of the new coalition's plan to make them use English branding. Its executive director Jordan Williams says logos do not need to be expensive. Williams spoke to Corin Dann.

Tonight on the Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Winston Peters is under fire for attacking the media and making inaccurate statements about public funding on the new Government's first-ever Cabinet meeting session. Does Winston have a point? How does this reflect on the Government? An NZ On Air board member has resigned after making a social media post calling out new Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters' attack on media independence. Is this the right call? LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more!  Nicola Willis has confirmed she won't be the Deputy Prime Minister, and Luxon said she was never in the running. Is this true? Who are our picks for the role? The incoming Government will have to find a quarter of a billion dollar to give ECE educators pay parity- because their predecessors didn't budget for it properly. What other harmful surprises are waiting in the wings? SailGP has made the decision to not stage the event in Auckland in March 2024. Is this a loss for the region? Are we excited for Black Friday this year? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Former Act MP and Minister Heather Roy wants a ban on public reporting of polls during the voting period because it influences undecided voters. Is this true? Can polls really sway the choices of voters? New research has revealed the number of Kiwi vegans has dropped in recent months, with only three percent identifying as vegan compared to last year's five percent? Why are people making the switch? Have increased food prices driven these numbers down?  LISTEN ABOVE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Recent polls indicate National's popularity may have peaked and the gap between left and right blocs is narrowing. Both the new Newshub-Reid Research and One News Verian polls show National and ACT will need the boost from NZ First to govern- could National lose the unlosable election? Dame Jacinda Ardern took to Facebook to encourage voters to turn up and cast their votes for Labour- calling Hipkins a friend and a good dad. Do we think this will encourage a wider turnout? Politicians are weighing in on the Israel discussion - Marama Davidson said if we're going to deem Hamas a terrorist organisation, the same test should be applied to the Israeli Defence Force. Is she out of line with public opinion on this one? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There is an ad on the radio at the moment featuring a brilliant impersonation of Labour's Finance spokesperson and current Finance Minister Grant Robertson. The Taxpayers Union is behind it. They've also got a website that goes with it and even have vehicles painted up, as if they are a legitimate business. They're calling it "Robbo's Removal Company” and the gist of the whole thing is that Grant Robertson and Labour have made things so bad that they are literally making it very easy for people to move. To get out of New Zealand. So, imagine this is a website you'd expect any moving company to have. And this one's got cartoon pictures of Robbo and Chippy, with the big statement: “Since 2017, we have helped more than 218,000 New Zealand citizens move to other countries in pursuit of lower taxes, greater reward for hard-work and a more affordable cost of living. We make moving the quick, easy and obvious choice for skilled and successful people across the country.” And just like a genuine website for a genuine business, it includes customer testimonials. They say things like this from Isabella, a fictional doctor: “Robbo's Removals made moving to Australia the obvious choice. Of course, I was initially sad about leaving behind my fellow co-workers at the hospital but they have now decided to move here too!” Then we've got the attack ads coming from the other end of the political spectrum. The Council of Trade Unions, especially. These are the ones you will have seen everywhere with the image of Christopher Luxon looking like some sort of dictator. And the message that the National Party leader is out of touch and there's too much to risk voting him to be our next Prime Minister. And it's not just the ads. The CTU sent out that crazy email to all its members the other weekend saying that National wants to cut superannuation, get rid of the winter energy payment and get rid of 10-days sick leave for workers. All wrong. In fact, if you wanted to, you could say these claims weren't just wrong - they were actually lies. And I think they were lies. There's no other way to put it. And then, after the fact, the CTU came out and said it was all just a mistake. So that's some of the stuff the so-called “third parties” have been up to. And by third parties, I mean the likes of the CTU and the Taxpayers' Union.But the politicians and the parties themselves have really ramped up the attacks too. And it's not just the leaders. Individual MPs have been getting all negative about their opponents on social media. So we've had Labour saying that National's tax plan is a “scam”. That it should've been upfront from the start and said that only 3,000 households would qualify under its plan for the full “up to $250 a fortnight” in tax relief. And yesterday, National's Christopher Luxon was describing Chris Hipkins as the “Prime Mis-informer”. That was in relation to Labour's plan for state-funded dental care for the under-30s. National is saying that Labour should've been more open and honest and made it clear that what it was talking about was basic dental-care only. That's why Luxon was calling Hipkins the “Prime Mis-informer”. But is all this dissing of each other by the politicians and all the expensive ads and billboards and posters being put out there by the parties themselves and other outfits like the CTU and the taxpayers, is this actually going to make any difference? Are they having any influence over which way you decide to vote? At best, I'm finding some of them entertaining. But that's about it.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Candidates: National – Simon O'Connor ACT – Brooke van Velden Note: The Labour candidate was invited but decline due to other commitments. Moderated by Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury and Damien Grant from The Working GroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Candidates: Labour – Oscar Sims National – Mahesh Muralidhar ACT – Felix Poole Green – Chlöe Swarbrick Moderated by Martyn "Bomber" Bradbury and Damien Grant from The Working GroupSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Ali Jones from Red PR joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Labour MP Greg O'Connor has done the unthinkable and conceded that Labour is likely going to lose the election. Is this a rookie move or is there strategy behind this? 80 percent of Kiwis are wondering if Chris Luxon will work with Winston Peters - should Luxon continue to not say anything until the election? The president of the Coromandel chapter of the Rebels gang has apologised for the bad behaviour of his members over the weekend. Is this a refreshing approach from them? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Martyn 'Bomber' Bradbury moderates a panel of political pundits – Bryce Edwards, Fran O'Sullivan, Simon Wilson, Jordan Williams and Damien Grant – who give their instant reaction to tonight's 1News debate.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union and Jack Tame from ZB's Saturday Mornings and Q&A weighed in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Yesterday's PREFU was eye-opening, and it raised the questions: Should National revise their plan for tax cuts? Can we actually afford them? US News' Best Countries list has concluded New Zealand has amazing scenery and friendly people- but the nation isn't sexy. What do we think of this? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The third of 7 election debates. Live from Everybody club, Auckland. Election 2023: Taxpayers' Union | The Working Group Party Policies Debate Participants: Labour - Willie Jackson National - Simeon Brown ACT - David Seymour Green - Ricardo Menéndez March NZ First - Jenny Marcroft Māori - John Tamihere   Issue 1: Economy and Cost of Living Issue 2: Crime Issue 3: Co-governance, the Treaty and Extremism Issue 4: Climate ChangeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There's renewed debate over whether an Independent Costings Watchdog is needed to verify election promises. Labour, National and the Greens have all shown support for the idea. The Taxpayers' Union's Jordan Williams says an office separated from the Government of the time is needed to verify each party's election promises for the sake of democracy. "So we don't end up like the situation where we used to have, where even with the big parties, there was just no questioning of costs." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Finance Minister is defending the CTU's controversial attack ad, claiming it's a technique favoured by both sides. Billboards and newspaper ads from the Council of Trade Unions describe Chris Luxon as 'out of touch' and 'too much risk'. Finance Minister Grant Robertson says it's the CTU's right to highlight relevant issues in a democratic society. "And they wouldn't be alone in doing that, the Taxpayers' Union have done numerous screengrabs of me, unflattering photos- and they're a surrogate of National and the ACT Party." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The second of 7 election debates. Live from Misceo Cafe & Bar, Ilam, Christchurch.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Taxpayer Talk, Taxpayers' Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, sits down with Casey Costello, a former chair and board member of the Taxpayers' Union who recently resigned in order to stand as a candidate for New Zealand First in this year's election. Casey has had a successful career in the police force, running her own business and as the spokesperson for Hobson's Pledge. Jordan and Casey discuss how Casey got involved in the Taxpayers' Union including her time as a board member and chairperson and some of the key battles that have been fought along the way.Finally, Jordan quizzes Casey as to why she joined New Zealand First and what she envisions for the country should she be successful at this year's election. To support Taxpayer Talk, click hereIf you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to email podcast@taxpayers.org.nz Support the show

Criticism has come of the millions of dollars being spent to educate the children of our diplomats serving overseas. The Taxpayers' Union says the children's premium education costs taxpayers $5 million a year - with $800,000 going to children in the US, and $500,000 to children in China. Union spokesperson Oliver Bryan told Mike Hosking it's a waste given the amount he claims diplomats earn. Bryan says it's unfair for New Zealanders to foot the bill during a cost of living crisis, when our own schools are struggling. He says these children should go to state schools where possible. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Criticism has come of the millions of dollars being spent to educate the children of our diplomats serving overseas. The Taxpayers' Union says the children's premium education costs taxpayers $5 million a year - with $800,000 going to children in the US, and $500,000 to children in China. Union spokesperson Oliver Bryan told Mike Hosking it's a waste given the amount he claims diplomats earn. Bryan says it's unfair for New Zealanders to foot the bill during a cost of living crisis, when our own schools are struggling. He says these children should go to state schools where possible. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers' Union says New Zealanders shouldn't have to pay for Diplomat's children to attend high-end private schools. Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's revealed in an Official Information Act request that they spend $5-million dollars on private schools each year, and nearly half of that is given to countries with education systems either on par or better than New Zealand's. Investigation coordinator for the Taxpayers Union Oliver Bryan spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.

Tonight on The Huddle, Tim Wilson from Maxim Institute and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in on a discussion about the following issues of the day- and more! Labour has dropped to 29 percent in the latest 1News Verian poll. National is up 2 points to 37 percent- and can form a coalition with ACT's 13 percent. How low can Labour go before the election? Can they turn their luck around? Former All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has defected to help the Wallabies, shocking rugby fans across the country. Is this a wise move on his part- or is he betraying New Zealand? Labour are under fire for modifying the bright-line test, against advice from a select committee at the time. Someone who leaves their house more than a year could get taxed, even if their kids or spouse stay in the home. Was this deliberate?  LISTEN ABOVE    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first of 7 election debates. Live fromthe Puketapu Hotel NapierSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The same ideologies that have resulted in anti-White violence in South Africa are now being taught in America's schools. Willem Petzer, chairman of the Taxpayers' Union of South Africa, joins Stew to report on anti-White sentiment and how it's rising. In the wake of the Little Mermaid race swapping disaster, Disney is back to destroy Snow White. Conservative activist Ana Perez is here to talk about the new Snow White remake that is set to bomb at the box office next year. The ADL has been caught on camera admitting to using A.I. technology to censor conservatives. Independent journalist Kyle Clifton is here to talk about the hidden video sting operation that successfully exposed the Anti Defamation League. The Democratic party is unified around anti-white discrimination. Christian social media influencer Isabella Maria DeLuca joins Stew to talk about the demographic decline of Whites in America. Watch this new segment NOW at https://StewPeters.com! Keep us FREE and ON THE AIR! SUPPORT THE SPONSORS Below! Protect your retirement, Visit our friends at Goldco! Call 855-706-GOLD or visit https://goldco.com/stew Kick-ass Chuck Norris has now released a morning KICK! Try it HERE: https://americareadysupply.com/stew Gun Holsters, BIG SALE! Just go to https://www.vnsh.com/stew and get $50 OFF! Keto, Paleo, Guilt Free Cocao, eat chocolate, and still lose weight: https://earthechofoods.com/stew Clean up your AIR with these high quality air filtration systems, and protect yourself from shedding: https://thetriadaer.com/ Check out https://nootopia.com/Stew for help increasing your mental & physical strength to battle the deep-state's KRYPTONITE plot against Americans! Magnesium is VITAL for sleep and stress, Get high quality magnesium and support the show with using Promocode STEWPETERS10: https://magbreakthrough.com/stewpeters High Quality CBD, Check out: https://kuribl.com/ Use Promocode STEW20 for 20% off your order or premium CBD! Pandemic Preparedness and Are YOU Prepared for the next pandemic? Pandemic Preparedness kits: Https://pandemicprotocol.com Antarctic krill Oil is a lifesaver, FIX your inflammation today at https://StopMyInflammation.com Help Stew Fight Back Against TheLGBTQ Mafia With His Legal Fund: https://givesendgo.com/DefendStew Go Ad-Free, Get Exclusive Content, Become a Premium user: https://www.stewpeters.com/subscribe/ Follow Stew on Gab: https://gab.com/RealStewPeters See all of Stew's content at https://StewPeters.com

One political party is making a comeback. New Zealand First has gained popularity in the latest Taxpayers' Union Curia poll, gaining enough support to push over the five percent threshold to return to parliament. It comes after Act leader David Seymour says he refuses to partner with Winston Peters. But that may have to change as a National-Act government is looking more solid. Political commentator Brigette Morten joined Roman Travers to break down the latest numbers. LISTEN ABOVE  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tonight on The Huddle, Ali Jones from Red PR and Jordan Williams from the Taxpayers' Union joined in to discuss the following issues of the day- and more! A Taxpayers' Union funded Curia poll shows Labour's taken another hit- the party's down 4 points to 27 percent. National's up by 1.6 points to to 34.9 per cent and ACT is down slightly to 13. The Greens have also jumped by 3 points to 12 and NZ First is at 5.8 percent. Is Labour finish by this point? ACT plans to rewrite the Sentencing Act and put the victim at the centre when sentencing criminals. Labour says this will lead to more criminals and more people in prison. Does the idea have merit? A Sandringham liquor store owner is upset because his license wasn't renewed because the wine being sold wasn't upmarket enough and people weren't happy he was selling cheap single beers. Is this out of order? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Taxpayer Talk, Taxpayers' Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, sits down with Taxpayers' Union co-founder, pollster and blogger, David Farrar to discuss how polling works along with his time at the Taxpayers' Union and why he is stepping down. David founded Curia Market Research, a polling company, in 2004 and has had decades of experience organising, conducting and analysing polls. In this podcast, David answers some of the most common questions we get about how polling works and what makes a poll reliable. Also in the podcast is the story of how David came to be a pollster in the first place, his early successes and the eventual rise to being the National Party's pollster of choice. Having provided polling services to three New Zealand Prime Ministers, and four Opposition Leaders, John Key famously described Farrar as “the best pollster in New Zealand”. Unfortunately, after almost ten years since forming the Union, David has decided it is time to resign as a board member. Jordan asks the obvious question: “where to from here?” To support Taxpayer Talk, click hereIf you have any comments, questions or suggestions, feel free to email podcast@taxpayers.org.nzSupport the show

Doubt today's latest political poll will be reflected in the election. The Taxpayers' Union- Curia poll has National just ahead at 33.3 percent - with Labour on 31. Support for Act is at 13.2 percent; the Greens, 8.9; and Te Pati Māori on 5 percent. On those figures, neither the left nor the right bloc could form a Government. But ZB senior political correspondent Barry Soper says on election night it'll be different story. "I think the mood of the country is for change, and I think you'll see the gap between Labour and National widening." LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Find out more about the National Taxpayers Union on the Alex Garrett Podcast Network during my conversation with Pete Sepp, President of the NTU (ntu.org). We talk debt ceiling deal avoiding default and so much more!

Find out more about the National Taxpayers Union on the Alex Garrett Podcast Network during my conversation with Pete Sepp, President of the NTU (ntu.org). We talk debt ceiling deal avoiding default and so much more!

Dunedin taxpayers have forked out a substantial amount to eradicate the region's wallaby population. The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union confirmed that over $2.7 million has been spent on a wallaby control program that killed just 18 wallabies This was divulged in an OIA to Biosecurity NZ by the Taxpayers' Union. Taxpayers' Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says this was part of the Jobs for Nature scheme proposed during the Covid-19 pandemic, when mass unemployment was a concern. "We're spending $153,000 per wallaby killed, or eradicated down in Otago. At that price, it would have been cheaper to get each one a private jet to send them back to Australia." Biosecurity New Zealand Director Readiness and Response John Walsh issued the following: As noted in our OIA response, wallaby control requires a mix of strategies in different places around the country. For example, wallaby numbers are greater in Canterbury and the Bay of Plenty and kill numbers are much higher (in the Bay of Plenty 2819 have been destroyed by shooting or bait station and in Canterbury 6665). In areas like Otago and Waikato the focus is on surveillance because the populations are much smaller and we want to track each last one down. Surveillance is vital for tracking the remaining wallabies down. It is not wasted money, but saving the cost of any large future wallaby infestation. We also know – as noted in the OIA response – that the counts in no way represent all the wallabies killed by the programme.  Due to their nocturnal nature and the remote landscapes that wallabies occupy aerial drops are often the best method of killing them. For example, toxic bait drops in remote areas are a very effective method for killing wallabies, but the nature of the terrain makes it extremely difficult to record actual kills. Work by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research to monitor two of the largest Aerial toxin operations targeting wallabies in Canterbury – using a combination of fixed-point thermal cameras, repeated transects with a thermal camera on an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or helicopter, and GPS collared wallabies - showed strong results. With the past two years post Aerial toxin operation results in Canterbury show a population reduction of over 90 percent. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bad day in the Local Government New Zealand offices today, because Auckland Council just gave them the flick. This is what happens when you don't read the room and try to force an unpopular policy like Three Waters on people. I'll explain to you what happened here; Local Government NZ is the body that is supposed to represent all the councils across the country and go in to bat for them. That's why these councils pay LGNZ huge amounts of money to belong to them  But LGNZ made a big mistake; they struck a secret deal with Nanaia Mahuta to allow her to confiscate the water assets off councils. All the while she kept pretending she wouldn't do that. In simple terms, they sided with Nanaia against their own paying members.  Then the Taxpayers' Union started campaigning against Three Waters, and so Local Government New Zealand banned the Taxpayers' Union from attending their conference. A group of councils broke away and set up a rebel group called Councils for Local Democracy, it now represents more than a third of the country's councils.  And then this happened today, their biggest member pulled out and took a huge amount of money with them. Depending on which numbers you look at, Auckland Council paid anywhere between $400,000 and 607,000 last year to LGNZ out of a total income of $5 million.  That's anywhere between 9 percent and 12 percent. That's a big chunk to lose. But this is a lesson to Kieran McAnulty, who is right now trying to decide what to do with Three Waters. LGNZ was on the wrong side of public opinion, it tried to force Three Waters on its members and they didn't want it, and now it's lost the biggest one of them. It is still an option to Kieran to force Three Waters on NZ, but the majority of us don't want it, and judging by what just happened to LGNZ- do that, the outcome won't be good. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Labour is leading in the latest Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll for the first time since March 2022. The results are close, with Labour reaching 35.5 percent and National on 34.8 per cent. With ACT's support, National would be in Government, according to the poll. The Greens are close to the 5 percent threshold, having fallen 2.1 points to 5.7 percent. ZB's senior political correspondent Barry Soper says that Chris Hipkins has been boosted by extra exposure from Cyclone Gabrielle.  LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Taxpayers' Union have recently stated that Eleanor Catton should use her royalties to pay back her subsidies. This was as a response to an interview Eleanor Catton gave to RNZ over the weekend, in which she labelled the Union 'sinister' while promoting her latest book. Taxpayers Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says these comments from Catton came out of nowhere. Jordan Williams says that Eleanor Catton's comments were still hypocritical, and that she should pay back her royalties to fund up and coming artists instead of complaining about New Zealand not funding the industry. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today's edition of The Huddle, NZ Herald senior writer Simon Wilson and independent journalist Clare de Lore joined in on a discussion about the following pressing topics: Auckland Grammar faced backlash online for being the only Auckland school that opened today, despite concerns surrounding Cyclone Gabrielle. Did they make the right decision by opening before the worst of the weather hit? Would you have wanted your kids at school today? The Taxpayers' Union wants Eleanor Catton to pay back subsides she's been given following her comments in an RNZ interview. Was this a fair request? Do you agree with The Taxpayers' Union? National and Labour are neck and neck in a new poll from The Taxpayers Union/Curia. What is National doing wrong? Does Luxon have an image problem? LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are plenty of local government candidates campaigning on the platform of lower rates and better services - but is that likely? Or even possible? The 2022 Ratepayers Report is out today, and shows rates continue to rise across the country, albeit at a slower pace. So, are ratepayers getting their money's worth? Taxpayers' Union Local Government Campaigns Manager Josh Van Veen spoke to Corin Dann.

Earlier this year, the Taxpayers' Union financially supported a judicial review of Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta's advice to Cabinet that her Three Waters proposals were required for the Crown to comply with its obligations under the Treaty of Waitangi.  On 4 August, the first ‘in chambers' hearing was heard in Wellington. Jordan sat down for an update with one of the two Queens Counsels leading the matter, Gary Judd QC.Support the show

The Taxpayers' Union is crying foul on Kainga Ora's plans to hire more staff. A leaked briefing obtained by Newstalk ZB reveals the housing agency wants to take on nearly 500 more full-time staff, in the coming year. It's now gone back on that figure, saying the number will be 465, and that almost half are needed to fill existing vacancies. Taxpayers Union Executive Director Jordan Williams told Kate Hawkesby the payroll has been growing fast. He says it only had 1200 staff in 2017, but that jumped to 2200 last year, and it is now on track to reach 3000 by next year. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jordan Williams: Taxpayers' Union executive director on being banned from LGNZ ConferenceSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Huddle: Taxpayers' Union vs LGNZ, overseas investors, mask useSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hundreds have turned out to an anti-three waters reform roadshow in the South Island this week. Groundswell has organised the events in conjunction with the Taxpayers' Union. Today they visited Gore. RNZ Otago-Southland reporter Timothy Brown was there.

On this ASIA-PACIFIC SPECIAL episode of Live with Littlewood, Mark is joined by: Jordan Williams - Executive Director, Taxpayers' Union Dhananath Fernando - Chief Operating Officer, Advocata Institute (@dhananath) Rainer Heufers - Executive Director, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies (@RHeufers) Matthew Lesh - Head of Public Policy, Institute of Economic Affairs (@matthewlesh)   More information about the guests' organisations can be found below: Taxpayers' Union - https://www.taxpayers.org.nz/ Advocata Institute - https://www.advocata.org/ Center for Indonesian Policy Studies - https://www.cips-indonesia.org/ Institute of Economic Affairs - https://iea.org.uk/   Support the IEA on Patreon, where we give you the opportunity to directly help us continue producing stimulating and educational online content, whilst subscribing to exclusive IEA perks, benefits and priority access to our content https://patreon.com/iealondon   FOLLOW US: TWITTER - https://twitter.com/iealondon​​ INSTAGRAM - https://www.instagram.com/ieauk/​​ FACEBOOK - https://www.facebook.com/ieauk​​ WEBSITE - https://iea.org.uk/

 In a long-awaited interview with Nanaia Mahuta, the Local Government Minister fields questions from Taxpayers' Union supporters on her controversial Three Waters reforms. Listeners will decide for themselves whether her ducking and diving effectively addressed concerns over ratepayer input, iwi veto power, and forecast costs.Support the show (http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/donate)

The New Zealand Initiative's executive director Dr Oliver Hartwich and the Taxpayers' Union executive director Jordan Williams discuss their views on fiscal incentives for councils as a way to encourage more houses to be built.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has admitted she was "surprised" at the almost $12,000 taxpayer-funded bill for former Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters' farewell bash at Parliament.She has asked officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mfat) to look into the bill to ensure it did actually cost as much as has been reported.This morning, the Herald revealed the event – where roughly 100 MPs and diplomats gathered to thank Peters for his time in the job – cost $11,733.That cost was split between Mfat and the office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs.The information was obtained under the official information act (OIA) and confirmed by both parties.Despite this, Ardern said she has asked Foreign Affairs officials to look at the bill as it was surprising to her."I have to admit, I am surprised by that," she said when asked about the bill.She said she attended the event and described it as a "very standard function" and that's why the bill was surprising."It wasn't a stand out to me as by any stretch, it was anything other than a standard event."It is understood that drinks and canapes were served at the function, which is not unusual for an event like that in Parliament.Ardern said: "It was an opportunity for the diplomatic corps to farewell and acknowledges Winston Peters but also to meet the new Minister of Foreign Affairs."Although diplomats were there, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta – who spoke at the event – said: "Tonight is about saying thank you to the Right Honourable Peters and his team."In fact, the event was listed on Mfat's website as a "celebration of Rt Hon Winston Peters' tenure as Foreign Minister".According to an Official Information Request (OIA) for the Taxpayers' Union, the bill covered the cost of catering, technical/AV and furniture hire.The Herald asked Mfat if the $12,000 cost was reasonable to farewell a politician but it did not respond.A request has been sought for a breakdown of the costs for the evening.text by Jason Walls, NZ Herald

What can $12,000 get you at a party these days?The Taxpayers' Union is up in arms about the dollar price tag for Winston Peters' farewell party, and the Prime Minister is sending a 'please explain' to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the bill.But is it that much for a party?Anna Dean is a party expert who has thrown events from red carpet premieres through to soirees for the likes of Google.She told Heather du Plessis-Allan that it sounds like a bargain, given how many people were there.She says, given Peters' three years as a Minister, she estimates the price is " less than 10 cents a day."LISTEN ABOVE