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‘Disgraceful’: Select Committee blocks public submissions seeking transparency on MP expenses

OpenTheBooks.nz news

In a controversial first, a Parliamentary Select Committee has blocked nearly 10,000 public submissions calling for greater transparency on how Members of Parliament spend taxpayer money.

The action has sparked criticism from the Taxpayers’ Union, which had organised the submission drive through a tool on OpenTheBooks.nz.

While ministerial expenses are already subject to the Official Information Act, the Taxpayers’ Union argues that similar transparency should extend to opposition MPs, backbenchers, and the budgets allocated to party leaders.

“Blocking Kiwis from contacting their MPs to demand transparency is nothing short of arrogant self-entitlement,” said Jordan Williams, spokesperson for the Taxpayers’ Union. Williams highlighted that while committees have previously consolidated or even ignored mass submissions, this is the first time the public has been explicitly prevented from emailing MPs directly through a submission tool.

Online submission tools, Williams added, are widely used worldwide to facilitate public engagement, making it easier for citizens to “have their say.” He clarified that the submissions sent through ‘OpenTheBooks.nz’ were not automated petitions or spam; each submission was individually crafted, allowing New Zealanders to edit and send personalised messages to their representatives.

The Taxpayers’ Union believes the decision to block emails reflects discomfort among MPs over the scrutiny of their expenses.

“We knew that many backbenchers and opposition MPs would be annoyed we are highlighting their precious secrecy,” said Williams. “But to actually go as far as to block New Zealanders from sending emails to MPs is disgraceful.”

Despite the block, the Taxpayers’ Union has announced it will print every submission received on OpenTheBooks.nz and deliver them to Parliament in person.

With the deadline for submissions approaching this Wednesday night, the group is determined to ensure New Zealanders’ calls for accountability reach the government.

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15 COMMENTS

  1. As discraceful as they come…..the usual suspects of the Parliamentary Spending Oversight Committee.
    Based on google search results, here is a list of persons associated with NZ Parliamentary Select Committees related to the expenditure of taxpayer money [I took the freedom to change “Hon” to “Con”, because to prohibit OUR tax dollars to be accounted for IS A CON!!!]:

    Finance and Expenditure Committee, 11 members, including:
    Con Grant Robertson (Chair) – Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Labour Party spokesperson for Finance
    Con Stuart Nash – Labour Party spokesperson for Finance
    Con David Bennett – National Party spokesperson for Finance
    Con Todd McClay – National Party spokesperson for Finance
    Con David Parker – Labour Party spokesperson for Revenue
    Con Mark Mitchell – National Party spokesperson for Revenue
    Con Kiri Allan – Labour Party spokesperson for Public Services
    Con Chris Bishop – National Party spokesperson for Public Services
    Con Jan Tinetti – Labour Party spokesperson for State Services
    Con Andrew Bayly – National Party spokesperson for State Services

    I really cannot fathom how these creatures sleep at night.
    Must be hiding something really corrupt.
    I a real world they would be tared and feathered and kicked out of town.

  2. The People should not have to apply to the Govt for information under the FOIA, it should all be public record that anyone at any time can access without having to go through a ‘gatekeeper’

  3. Who in their right minds votes for these theives ? they should all be thrown out onto the street where the really really belong. Oh that’s right I forgot they are all handpicked preselected protected and chosen beforehand so no matter who gets voted in they all abide by the same ‘you do as we say and you will get looked after’ hand book. Voting in NZ is just a formality a pretense to look like a so called Democracy. In George Carlin’s at words (God bless him) ‘its a Big Club and we are not in it. Its way past time for the indigenous elders of NZ to go back to 1839 and draw up a new Treaty. Which in their own right they can. You see what is commonly not known or talked about is the fact that the NZ Maori where never defeated as a Sovereign Nation. Since 1840 the Nation has been hijacked by all kinds of bribing corrupt snake outside NGOs. Time for them to all F… OFF. (Research Antoinette James).

  4. Well it wan’t me I can assure you. I said right at the outset vote NZ Loyal. Sned a massive message to these scum. Instaed most of you denigrated and abused NZ Loyal. Look what you were bought and paid for!

    What tom follery is this – NZ Moari were NEVER a soverign nation. They were never even a nation. That is a hisotircal fact. They were a colection of tribes some of whom, the bully boys and tyrants, feasted – pysically – on the lessor tribes who wanted to live in peace. The treaty saved those lessor tribes. The bullies and tyrants lost their lands due to acts of terrorism against the british citizens of the North. All well docuemnted. And that as they say is all she wrote.

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