Nicky Hager Alleges Taxpayers Union Manipulated 2023 Election

Investigative journalist Nicky Hager released a book titled Dirty Work: The Taxpayers' Union and New Zealand's Hard Right at a Wellington event on September 22, 2026. Hager alleges the Taxpayers Union acted as a front for the radical right, employing anti-Māori rhetoric and multi-million-dollar campaigns to influence the 2023 election. He claims National Party leader Christopher Luxon and Act Party leader David Seymour pivoted their rhetoric to align with these efforts to secure votes.

Beyond electoral influence, Hager alleges the organization received funding from British American Tobacco to produce campaign messages and that co-founder David Farrar improperly used a National Party election database for mailouts. Most controversially, the book claims the organization settled a secret employment dispute involving allegations of textbook sexual harassment against executive director Jordan Williams.

Jordan Williams and Taxpayers Union chair Ruth Richardson categorically denied the sexual harassment and payout allegations, describing them as a disgusting smear. Williams further accused Hager of violating basic journalistic principles by failing to provide the organization an opportunity to respond to the allegations before publication. David Farrar also denied the claims regarding the National Party database. Hager defended the timing and content of the release, stating his claims are based on multiple credible insiders and are necessary for public accountability.