Taxpayer ATMs and councillor conduct: Letters to the editor, June 27, 2026

Saturday, 27 June 2026

Taxpayer ATM?

In the recent saga re Mr Jones' trip to a mining conference in Canada where he, to put it mildly, overspent a dollar or two some issues come to mind.

When pressed a spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office said: “Minister Jones’ travel and approval of his travel followed the correct processes and rules.” Thereby absolving Mr Jones from any blame. The problem therefore must be the processes and rules which are clearly not fit for purpose. Enough said.

Mr Jones is a cabinet minister and has two hands firmly on the levers of power that run the country on our behalf. He has personal staff and a bevy of 'officials' to help him out yet he was unable to spot, in Mr Peters' words, 'the budget was too low'.

In my humble opinion in the midst of a fiscal squeeze and cost of living calamity it would be nice to see cabinet ministers, and indeed all MPs, setting an example instead of treating taxpayers funds as a personal ATM.

And they expect us to vote for them in November.

Geoff Orchard, Ōhaupō

Want to share your thoughts? Email editor@waikatotimes.co.nz with your full name and (not for publication) address and phone number. Letters should be no longer than 250 words.

Councillor conduct

As a rate-payer, I share the concern of Cr Shaw (South Waikato DC) about the cost of complaints to ratepayers. But to dismiss the complaints without a hearing would only encourage bad behaviour. I have a better solution.

If the complaint is malicious or unjustified then the complainant should pay the cost. But if the complaint is justified then the subject of the complaint should bear the cost. That's how it works when costs are awarded in the civil courts.

The result would be fewer complaints and less to complain about. Cr Shaw's suggestion would only lead to anarchy.

John Ghent, Tokoroa

Peacocke polemic

Blair Bowcott replied to a letter from Colin Jones relating to the Peacocke subdivision. He has been deliberate in his wording wanting ratepayers to believe everything there is fine.

Actually it isn’t, and he knows it. The newly appointed financial investigation committee of outsiders is exploring just this issue. I expect Blair is a worried man because the truth will come out.

Val Jones, Hamilton

Dollars and destinations

Blair Bowcott of Hamilton City Council reply to Colin Jones HCC Black Hole, saying its visitor destinations help make Hamilton a great place to live and generate economic benefits for local businesses. However, the cost to ratepayers deserves far greater scrutiny.

Council figures indicate visitor destinations collectively lost almost $29 million in 2024/25, with Claudelands Events Centre alone losing $8.3 million and accumulating more than $106 million in losses since opening, exceeding its original construction cost. FMG Stadium is reported to lose between $4 million and $5 million annually, while predominantly serving professional sporting events.

Council argues these facilities attract visitors and support local businesses, but this effectively means ratepayers are subsidising commercial activities. If businesses benefit so substantially, why are households carrying the financial burden?

At a time of rising rates and increasing pressure on household budgets, residents are entitled to ask whether stadiums and event centres are core functions of local government.

Hamilton City Council should publicly disclose the annual cost per household of operating every visitor destination. If these facilities cannot become financially sustainable, alternative ownership models or private partnerships should be seriously considered.

Hamilton ratepayers deserve transparency and better value for money.

Geoff Kreegher, Hamilton

Cuts and debt

Two mechanisms governments use to fund their operations are tax and debt. The current government has more debt, assuming that tax cuts may not have been the right thing to do.

Rather than rejigging tax rates to provide tax cuts, a fiscally prudent government could have been expected to link tax rates to the CPI index.That's how things work for pensioners.

The government could also taken advantage of having a A+++ credit rating to help Local Government replace critical infrastructure. Many of the pipes were built decades ago servicing much smaller populations needed upgrades and to deal with more frequent weather events. Ratepayers are picking up the tab for 'Waters Done Well', which bears many similarities to 'Three Waters' in order that the Government can keep debt off their books at the expense of ratepayers.

The Finance minister in her latest budget trumpeted the prospect of getting the books back in surplus a year earlier than Australia. Normally, governments expect some of bounce back in the polls following budgets, but polls suggest this has failed to materialise.

The thought of having public servant cuts as a means of beating Australia in the race back to surplus for many was a major turn off. Workers now worry whose jobs are next if the Finance minister gets things wrong again.

The Labour party have said they intend to revoke the job cut decision and to recommit to pay equity. Which has triggered howls of horror from National demanding how are they going to fund these measures.

Given governments are elected for the good of all the country, if they have to increase tax, or borrow to provide a humane and equitable outcome, they should do so. Especially with a A+++ credit rating and to stem the exodus to the lucky country.

Eric Thompson, Melville

UK jailing

Nicola Sturgeon will be mortified about her husband’s fraud. The scale of the offence traces back to a fishy tail of deceit and entitlement. Call in the sharks.

Hugh Webb, Hamilton

IAWAI/Three Waters

Years ago, Hamilton residents paid only one rate for the property. Later, the Labour Government created Environment Waikato, which became the Waikato Regional Council, and residents were forced to pay two rates. Both Councils had Mayors, Councillors, and administrative staff. Waikato regional council rates covered the Waikato region up to Taupo Lake. Elections were held for both councils. Year after year, councils kept increasing the rates and spending on non-essential services.

The present government wanted to amalgamate Local Councils and Regional Councils into one Council, saying rates will be capped at 4 percent, the same as the model in Australia. But the rates for property/land and water/storm/wastewater had been created into two categories. The newly created IAWAI water company is run by those who are not elected by the community. This is a very unfair system in a democratic country, which is worse than the three waters that were rejected by the voters before the last General elections. Three waters were taken up at all general election campaign meetings.

The general public is well aware that IAWAI rates are going up by over 20 per cent, and water usage charges will increase rapidly in the coming years. The public has signed a petition and handed it over to Hamilton City Council. Same as three waters, all political parties and candidates should take this up in the General election campaign meetings, giving their opinion.

Mano Manoharan, Hamilton