3,000 New Zealanders back NZTU call for Clinton Foundation funding to cease
16 JUNE 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
More than three thousand people have now signed a petition backing the Taxpayers’ Union call for the Government to stop NZ Aid's taxpayer funding of the Clinton Foundation’s subsidiary charity, the “Clinton Health Initiative”. To date, Kiwi taxpayers have forked out $7.7 million to the Clinton Foundation’s “Health Access Initiative” with $2.5 million and $3 million earmarked for 2017 and 2018 respectively.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says, “This money comes from the NZ Aid budget which should be going to programmes that are the most effective at helping the world’s poor - not side-tracked into political objectives."
“Last month, we wrote to the new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gerry Brownlee, asking him to veto this funding. We think the convention of taxpayers money not being used to fund the aspirations of foreign politicians should be extended to include charities founded or led by foreign politicians. Groups like the Clinton Foundation may be responsible for some good work, but their dual purpose – charitable work as well as further the political ambitions of their patrons – make it unsuited to NZ Aid support."
The petition can be signed at http://www.taxpayers.org.nz/clinton_petition.
ENDS

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