Taxpayers Union Banned From Local Government NZ

22^nd July 2022

Re: Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) Bans NZ’s largest Ratepayers’ Group from its Conference

LGNZ has bitten the hand that feeds it. The Federation of Ratepayers Association of NZ (FoRA) calls on soon to be elected representatives across local government to commit to defunding LGNZ and to boycott future conferences organised by LGNZ.

It is shocking that LGNZ, an organisation which promotes itself as the advocate for the local government sector and by extension, for the diverse communities of ratepayers and residents across NZ; and which is entirely dependent on funding by Ratepayers (via subscription paying council membership) has banned the Taxpayers Union from this year’s local government conference.

This at a time when major reforms are proposed for the sector, which seriously impact upon not only residents’ democratic rights, but also the obligations and responsibilities of Ratepayers (as private property owners from whom payments are demanded to build and operate infrastructure, community facilities, as well as to resource councils themselves and to deliver the numerous functions devolved to councils by central Government).

TheTaxpayers’ Union is asking the same questions and expressing similar concerns to those identified by the Federation of RatepayersAssociation with respect to the current raft of reforms. We have serious concerns about the direction being pursued by Government and its collaborators within LGNZ as to ‘the future’ of councils, of local democracy, of accountability to voters and ratepayers as citizens of NZ and local communities.

This year’s conference theme was promoted as “your chance to shape thefuture”. LGNZ advertised a fee for non-members to register ($1,940) and invited folk to engage in “blue-sky thinking” while also trying to find “pragmatic solutions.” LGNZ asked “how might we START to build that future?” FoRA suggests a first step must be to get clear of the middle-men. We expect our representatives in central Government and in local councils to willingly liaise with us, the people who pay for all this governance, this conferencing and for any reforms. By revoking the registration of the Taxpayers’ Union, LGNZ has signalled it is unfit to claim any sort of advocate status.

Enquiries to

Jane Johnston

Chair of the Federation of Ratepayer Associations of New Zealand Inc ( FoRA NZ )

( Mob : 021 973 392 : e-mail: ratepayersandresidents@gmail.com )