Hi Friend,

I'm furious – and you will be too. 

If you're one of the millions of Kiwis struggling with the costs of living and council rates, I've got bad news.

It appears the Minister of Local Government, Simon Watts has been hoodwinked by Local Government New Zealand and Department of Internal Affairs officials to fudge the promised capping of council rates. 

I'm emailing to ask for your support on this campaign, so we can keep the pressure on cap rates to inflation.

The Government has appointed the very people who "defeated" rates capping back in 2009 to (wait for it...) write the new rates cap policy!

You'll remember a few months ago that we exposed LGNZ's secret memo to councils planning a ratepayer funded political campaign to fight rates capping.

In that memo, LGNZ bragged that "it is still politically possible to prevent rates capping. LGNZ successfully opposed a similar proposal in 2009"

A few hours ago, we received the list of the "Independent Reference Group" that the Department of Internal Affairs have employed to design the Government rates cap legislation.

We knew LGNZ wouldn't go down without a fight - but this is political skulduggery at its best!

To our astonishment, Government officials have appointed the former President of LGNZ, Lawrence Yule (and the former LGNZ CEO, now Mr Yules business partner) to write the policy!

Everything we have worked for is now at stake. Will you support our counter-offensive and fight back?

The man who killed rates capping 🪦

As president of LGNZ for nine years, Lawrence Yule led the effort and put a stop to rates capping in 2009.

Yule is extremely well connected, a former National Party MP, and now a professional lobbyist. His website advertises that he is an expert "political strategist".

Along with Lawrence Yule, his business partner, and a third member (the former Auckland Council CFO under Phil Goff!) the majority of the "reference group" drafting the rates cap policy are LGNZ loyalists!

LGNZ will be jumping for joy that they got their men into the room to derail design the Government's policy.

Appointing foxes to guard the hen house 🦊

Friend, rather than blame Simon Watts, we think it is just as likely that this decision was orchestrated by Wellington bureaucrats working hand-in-glove with their mates at LGNZ to screw the scrum (and derail their Minister!).

Appointing one-sided "experts" to undermine a Minister's policy is straight from the "Yes, Minister" playbook.

It is telling that while Minister Watt's office is engaging with the Taxpayers' Union on rates cap policy, it's been radio silence from the "Independent Reference Group" tasked with drafting the detailed policy. Clearly Mr Yule doesn't want input from the very organisation/stakeholders the policy is intended to protect! 

That's no accident.

Professional bureaucrats and local government 'insiders' hate rates capping because it takes power away from 'the blob' to hike council taxes.

Rates capping means councils have to ask the public (i.e. ratepayers) via referenda in order to increase rates above the level of inflation.

As you know, Friend, since LGNZ successful attack on ratepayers 16 years ago, rates have only soared through the roof. We cannot let them win again! Will you contribute to our Ratepayer Defence Fund so we can go toe-to-toe?

Let's finish what we started 

While we have the Minister's commitment on rates capping, the devil will be in the detail.

We know that LGNZ are trying to convince Ministers to adopt some sort of 'compromise' where just "non-core" council spending is capped. Councils could continue to spend (and tax) what they like on what councils determine is "core" spending.

It is a recipe for a policy fudge. LGNZ know that such a scheme would be easily manipulated.

We say that the man who led LGNZ to undermine rates capping in 2009 has no business shaping the 2025 Rates Capping law – do you agree?

> Support the fight back <

LGNZ and its luminaries will stop at nothing to weaken rates capping and make sure the policy is as weak as water. We can't let that happen.

Every dollar will go towards exposing LGNZ’s schemes, keeping pressure on the Minister, and making sure rates are capped and the law delivers real relief for households.

We've done the hard yards in getting rates capping onto the political agenda. But it's not over until the policy is through Parliament.

To stop rates capping from being derail, we need your support right now.

We're counting on you,

Sam Warren    Local Government Campaigns Manager    New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

Ps. We've come too far to let this policy fall apart in the hands of shameless bureaucrats and self interested professional LGNZ lobbyists. Together we've made rates capping a national issue, but it's not over until the law is passed. Will you support the fight to the end?