Race-based spending initiatives announced in the Wellbeing-Budget (such as an extra $80 million for Whanau Ora) will lead to wasteful and unfair outcomes, says the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says, “Many Maori and Pasifika spending initiatives are either vague or over-ambitious. For example, why is the Government spending taxpayer money to ‘strengthen personal identity and connection to the community’? Is it even capable of achieving that?”

“The funding is in some cases blatantly unfair. For example, education investments targeted at Maori and Pasifika students will leave other students, who might be in more desperate need of assistance, wondering why they missed out. And the $11 million given to the Pacific Business Trust will be a bitter pill to swallow for those businesses who try to compete without handouts.”

“When taxpayers’ money is used on welfare, health services, or educational assistance, it should be laser-targeted towards areas of need, taking into account individual circumstances. In this Budget, spending is too often targeted through the single lens of race.”

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