An article reports that dark money from the agricultural industry flows into the Taxpayer's Union stable of clients. This funding allegedly supports lobbying efforts by groups like Groundswell to block effective environmental policies, thereby implicating the lobby group in ethically questionable political financing.

The New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union disclosed that The Arts Foundation Te Tumo Toi has received approximately $1.18m in funding from Creative NZ since 2021/22, including funding earmarked for lobbying/advocacy purposes. Spokesman James Ross criticized the expenditure, arguing that taxpayer money is being misdirected toward projects he deems wasteful.

Taxpayers' Union Campaigns Manager Callum Purves welcomed the government’s commitment to review lobbying regulations, emphasizing the need for transparency, a cooling‐off period for former ministers, and critiquing the use of taxpayer money to fund a voluntary code of conduct for lobbyists.

Taxpayers' Union Campaigns Manager, Callum Purves, publicly criticized revelations that government agencies and state-owned enterprises are spending hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars on lobbying firms, arguing that this practice undermines accountability and reinforces insider influence over government decision-making.

Taxpayers' Union has issued a press release welcoming a review into lobbying regulations, emphasizing the need for transparent and equitable processes in political lobbying. The organization criticized the government's decision to allocate funding for a voluntary code of conduct, arguing that it misuses taxpayer money and falls short of ensuring robust oversight.