Louis Houlbrooke: There And Back Again - Taxpayers Shell Out For Epic Turtle Journey

Taxpayers shelled out thousands of dollars transporting a dead turtle from Banks Peninsula to Wellington, storing it in a freezer for 21 months, then sending it back down to where it washed up for a high-powered and fully-catered powhiri, complete with a helicopter ride and a handmade coffin constructed by public servants. No scientific research was performed at any stage.

Based on responses to several Official Information Act requests, plus earlier media reports, the Taxpayers' Union can set out the timeline:

Louis Houlbrooke: Why We Won’t Stop Calling It ‘Taxpayer Money’

Jonathan Barrett, a taxation lecturer at Victoria University, wants New Zealanders and the media to stop talking about “taxpayer money”.

He makes the bland observation that when the government takes our money, that money legally becomes government property, and therefore the government can spend it however it likes. That’s all correct in a semantic kind of way, but pointless for policy debate – legality does not equal morality, and might does not make right.

Louis Houlbrooke: Revealed - the bizarre ways the Government is fighting COVID-19

Jacinda Ardern (who moonlights as the Minister of Arts, Culture, and Heritage) has been pouring millions in extra taxpayer funding into Creative NZ for its COVID-19 response.

Now we see the result: our research team have combed through the 637 grants (totalling $16 million) handed out under the new Arts Continuity fund, and you either have to laugh or cry.

Here are some highlights from the successful applications:

Louis Houlbrooke: Maori Business Privilege

Tender quota for Māori business: 

Māori Development Minister Nanaia Mahuta wants a quota of 16% of government spending on roading and construction tenders to be made exclusively available for Māori businesses.

If a Minister was found to be handing out government contracts on the basis of iwi connections, it would be considered corrupt. But Nanaia Mahuta seems to think she can avoid this accusation by enshrining the practice in government policy.