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Hi Friend,

It's Halloween today, but rather than 'trick or treat', we explain how Chris Hipkins has doubled down two tricks and no treats. 😤

Also in this week's Taxpayer Update, we uncover an $82,000 knees up, sorry, 'awards ceremony' to celebrate a string of beads on a wall, and (checks notes) a broom. We also highlight yet more eye-wateringly expensive Resource Management Act taxes. Oh, and we need to talk about Air New Zealand – the company that taxpayers bailed out in 2001 and then again 20 years later – and their new lobbying effort for permanent subsidies.

Let's get into it.

This Halloween, inflation isn’t the monster – Labour’s plan to tax it is 🎃

The main political news has been Labour's so-called "targeted" capital gains tax.

After promising in 2023 not to bring in any new taxes, Mr Hipkins has dug up from the grave many of the bad features of Sir Michael Cullen's Tax Working Group that even Dame Jacinda Ardern ensured was dead and buried.

Hipkins says this version is "fair" and "targeted". But peel off the mask and it’s a monster of a policy that punishes ordinary New Zealanders for inflation, not profit.

Thanks to the support of hundreds of online donations, newspapers across the country today are setting out the impact of Labour's new tax:

<[link removed]>Click here to see a high res version. <[link removed]>

Recidivist spooker... 👻 Can Hipkins be trusted not to expand his new tax? 💀



Last time Labour were in Opposition, they promised “no new taxes”. Then came the Auckland fuel tax, the ute tax, the visitor levy, the Amazon tax, three petrol excise hikes, and a bright-line extension that dragged in thousands of ordinary homeowners.

If a Party that swore off new taxes created six of them anyway once in Government, can we trust Labour not to expand this one? 🤔

A "fair" capital gains tax? Yeah right! 🤣

As we exposed this week, more than half of all house price growth over the past decade has been pure inflation. That’s imaginary gains, not real wealth. Yet Labour plans to tax those phantom "gains" at 28 percent! That means Kiwis could sell a property for the same real value they bought it for and still get hit with a massive tax bill.

And small business owners won’t escape either. Mechanics, cafés, and butchers who sell one premises to buy another will be caught too, thanks to Labour’s refusal to allow full rollover relief. It’s a tax on investment and growth, not fairness.

Earlier today we released our latest briefing paper which tackles Labour's false claims: Why Labour's capital gains tax fails the fairness test <[link removed]>

What about the “treat”? Three free taxpayer-funded GP visits – if you can get an appointment while you're still sick... 🤡

Labour say they'll use the money to pay for three GP visits for every New Zealander.

So on Wednesday I had one of our Researchers, Ella, call a random list of GP clinics across the country to see whether the issue is one of affordability, or accessibility and workforce.

Our spot audit found that one in seven GP clinics can’t offer an appointment for four weeks! <[link removed]>

Ella found the average wait time for the next appointment is more than a week (6.4 working days).

Free, sorry, taxpayer-funded visits don’t mean much if you can’t get through the door while you're sick!

Labour's policy feels more like a cheap political gimmick to justify a new tax than a serious health solution.

Free GP visits are meaningless if the doctor can’t see you until Christmas. People aren’t asking for a new tax-funded bureaucracy, just to see a doctor before their condition gets worse. You can read my comments to the media here <[link removed]> or have a listen to Heather du Plessis-Allan on our findings here. <[link removed]>

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Travel news – Air New Zealand announces new destination: your pocket! ✈️💰



While most Kiwis are tightening their belts, Air New Zealand’s new boss has been doing the media rounds arguing for taxpayer subsidies for domestic flights.

Speaking to Radio NZ, Air NZ’s new CEO Nikhil Ravishankar said some regional routes need what he calls a “situational subsidy” to stay afloat during quieter times. In plain English, Friend, that means he wants taxpayers to foot the bill with a new 'subsidy class'.

It’s not the first time Air New Zealand has come calling. It's been bailed out by taxpayers twice in recent memory. After its disastrous purchase of Ansett collapsed in 2001, the Government pumped in nearly $900 million and effectively re-nationalised the airline to stop it going under. Then during COVID, when other airlines turned to debt and equity markets, Air NZ instead went cap-in-hand to the Government for a $1.5 billion sweetheart loan facility and further equity injections. Right now, despite all the taxpayer support, Air NZ isn't even covering its own cost of capital.There is plenty of financial commentary about Air NZ's struggles compared to Qantas' strength, and the recovery of airlines offshore.

If the Government really wanted to help Air NZ, it should force it to live up to the reality of market disciplines by selling it and promoting competition. History has taught us that government-owned airlines usually struggle and offer a poor deal to consumers.

We say cheques from taxpayers are a false economy, not a long term solution to regional air travel. Propping up loss-making routes would only further discourage innovation and stops smaller competitors from entering the market. 

Consents chaos is costing farmers a fortune 🚜💸



Our friends at Federated Farmers have released a new report that lays bare just how broken New Zealand’s consenting system has become, and the numbers are staggering <[link removed]>.

Their nationwide survey found that the average farmer now spends nearly $45,000 (!!!) to gain a new resource consent - for things as simple as operating a well. Even consent renewals still clock in at around $28,000. In Canterbury, the average bill blows past $60,000. No wonder food is getting expensive...

The process has become a bureaucratic maze where success depends more on how many consultants you can afford than on the quality of your environmental practices. Councils are drowning farmers in paperwork, delays, and red tape while charging eye-watering fees for the privilege. The system has become so complex that even experts can’t guarantee consistent outcomes from one planner to the next.

Farmers are being punished for trying to follow the rules, with costs and uncertainty now acting as a handbrake on investment and productivity across the sector. It’s not about better environmental outcomes anymore, it’s about ticking boxes and keeping consultants employed.

Federated Farmers are calling for a common-sense fix by letting all existing consents roll over until the new RMA replacement system is ready. It’s simple, fair, and would save farmers time, money, and stress while the Government gets its reforms in order. Something we'll get in behind!

A big party for a broom, some beads – and $82,800 of your money 🎉🎨💸



Our Investigations Coordinator, Rhys, has revealed that the Ministry for Culture and Heritage handed over $82,800 to fund the Kiingi Tuheitia Portraiture Awards, a biennial competition exclusively for Māori artists aged 35 and under.

The Awards are designed to encourage young artists to create portraits around the theme of their tūpuna (ancestors). Fair enough, but the sheer size of the party is a hangover. 

Art (and the value of a party) will always be subjective – and that’s part of its beauty – but spending tens of thousands of dollars from the Ministry’s budget went to prizes for entries that, errr, might not reflect the priorities of hardworking New Zealanders...

The winning works the party was to celebrate were of a string of beads on a wall, while a runner-up features… a broom.

We’re not calling for an end to arts funding (as much as some interns would like us to!) – I’m a proud and loyal arts supporter myself. But we are calling for some common sense!

If the Government wants to spend public money on art prizes, it should be ready to explain why that’s a better use of funds than supporting local museums, heritage groups, or community arts projects that reach the full breadth of the public – and actually are art, perhaps.

Friend, maybe next year’s theme could be “value for money.”

Thanks to everyone who wished me well last week. Northland was a delight! Have a great weekend.

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Tory Relf
Head of Comms
New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union


ps. Did you see our ads in the papers today? We’re fronting the campaign against Labour’s proposed new capital gains tax – but we can’t do it without your support. Thank you to everyone who has already donated. If you haven’t, every dollar will be used to fight Labour's unfair tax grab. <taxpayers.org.nz/donate>

In the Media:

The PlatformCraig Stobo Breaks Down Labour's Capital Gains Tax Policy <[link removed]>

The PlatformTaxpayers' Union's Tory Relf On Labour's Capital Gains Tax Policy <[link removed]>

Radio New ZealandMidweek - severe storms test media, netball keeps media at bay <[link removed]>

Newstalk ZBFull Show Podcast: 29 October 2025 <[link removed]>

The SpinoffHow much is the capital gains tax on this priceless Ming vase? <[link removed]>

Radio New Zealand AudioRight wing factions win majority of New Plymouth council seats <[link removed]>

SunLiveTauranga mayor, councillors rate their performance <[link removed]>

Otago Daily TimesExecutive team at DCC cut by two - Efficiency the aim: Graham <[link removed]>

Bassett, Brash & HideGRAHAM ADAMS: Tikanga inserted into cutting-edge gene bill <[link removed]>

Centrist NZNewsletter: The Gene Technology Bill introduces a Māori Advisory Committee empowered to assess genetic engineering proposals based on cultural and spiritual values such as tikanga, mātauranga Māori, and kaitiaki relationships . <[link removed]>

Otago Daily TimesDeputy chief exec role gone in DCC restructure <[link removed]>

New Zealand HeraldTypical Auckland household rates up 85% since Super City merger, investigation finds <[link removed]>

‎Three Gals One BeehiveThe Emergency Coalition <[link removed]>

New Zealand HeraldIT Professionals NZ members vote for liquidation as more red ink revealed, reboot takes shape <[link removed]>



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