Responding to the Prime Minister’s commitment of $150 million in funding for climate change response in the Pacific, New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union spokesman Louis Houlbrooke says:

“It is no secret that many Pacific nations lack serious oversight when it comes to public spending. Any offer of funds from New Zealand taxpayers should come with a promise that it will be independently audited in future. If it is found to be misused, the funding should be withdrawn. If the Prime Minister fails to make this clear, we taxpayers face not just a risk, but a likelihood, that we will be ripped off either through corruption or incompetence.”

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