Parliamentary Services is a Kingdom of Waste

Tuesday, 23 January 2018, 5:11 pm
Press Release: New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

Parliamentary Services is a Kingdom of Waste

23 JANUARY 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union can reveal that Parliamentary Services purchased hundreds of copies of an animal-inspired self-help book, apparently “packed full” of tips.

In the glossy 115-page book, Parliamentary staff are encouraged to be like animals:

“The Wolf is courageous and stable. If we can learn to keep our confidence stable and be courageous enough to have it we will be like the Wolf.”

“Frogs are super flexible. Let’s try be like one.”

“Gorilla’s [sic] are known for their raw power and dominant poses. When you power pose think of the Gorilla.”

“We chose the bear because it uses sleep to recover and heal. Much like we should.”

Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director, Jordan Williams, says, “If Parliamentary Services thought there were some valuable lessons in Your Kingdom they could have distributed a link to the website of the publisher where it’s available to read online for free. Instead, they’ve wasted $14,000* buying 700 copies of a children’s book for adults.”

“This book and its spending is an insult to taxpayers and we look forward to the Speaker explaining to the public how this offers value for money.”

“We’d love to know what else Parliamentary Services is spending our money on, but thanks to a special carve-out Parliamentary Services’ spending is mostly secret. Politicians just don’t want the public to know how they spend public money. We only found out about this as a Parliamentary staffer was so enraged they kindly forwarded us their copy.”

*“According to their website, Parliamentary Services employs approximately 720 people. At the listed price of $20 a book, that brings the total cost to over $14,000.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media

New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

New Zealand's grassroots campaign for lower taxes and less government waste

The New Zealand Taxpayers' Union is an independent activist group, dedicated to being the voice for Kiwi taxpayers in the corridors of power. It's here to fight government waste and make sure New Zealanders get value for money from their tax dollar. New Zealanders are invited to join and donate at http://taxpayers.org.nz

Contact New Zealand Taxpayers' Union

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• Media Contact - media@taxpayers.org.nz
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