Corporate lobbying in New Zealand politics involves some very serious money. In my research on the lobbying process, I’ve discovered that one lobbyist tells new clients that anything a government wants to do can be stopped for $250,000, whether that’s a new tax, a spending cut or a regulatory change. That lobbyist says that making governments back new ideas is harder and can never be guaranteed – it usually costs a seven-figure sum, including fees and other expenses.
I was also told by someone in the industry that their annual “personal profit” of about $400,000 meant they earned more than a Cabinet Minister but not quite as much as a prime minister. And, of course, their influence is sometimes on a similar level.
