A lawyer and leader of the New Zealand Outdoors & Freedom Party, Sue Grey, has accused the Taxpayers’ Union of unfairly excluding her from a Greymouth election debate.
Grey attended the debate but was prevented from speaking after the Taxpayers’ Union enforced a 5% polling threshold. She contends the threshold was applied unevenly. The polling, conducted by Curia Market Research, came under scrutiny for its approach. Before respondents were asked who they would vote for, they were specifically prompted about National, Labour, and New Zealand First candidates—but not about Grey. The survey then asked for a general voting preference without listing all candidates, potentially distorting the results.
The Taxpayers’ Union confirms its national poll is commissioned by the organization and carried out by Curia. David Farrar, a co-founder and former board member of the Taxpayers’ Union, remains a director and shareholder at Curia. His continued involvement raises concerns about conflicts of interest, especially when polling determines debate eligibility.
Grey’s exclusion coincides with broader examination of the Taxpayers’ Union’s role in elections, as documented in investigative journalist Nicky Hager’s recent book Dirty Work. Hager’s work focuses on the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union and political influence on elections.
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The West Coast–Tasman electorate has experienced underrepresentation in recent years, with its current MP being closed down by her own leader after raising regional concerns such as climate policy. Grey highlights a range of local issues including mining, tourism, fisheries, infrastructure, health services and the use of the pesticide sodium fluoroacetate (commonly known as 1080). She says over half of New Zealanders are frustrated with the current political direction, arguing voters deserve a wider range of perspectives in debates.
“Democracy requires that people be aware of all their voting options.”, Grey said. “Don’t decide for voters which political perspectives they are entitled to hear. Put the candidates on the stage. Ask us the difficult questions. Let the public compare our answers. Then trust West Coast–Tasman voters to decide. Democracy requires nothing less.”
The Taxpayers’ Union’s reliance on polling as a gatekeeping mechanism has faced criticism for potentially limiting fair representation. While Grey acknowledges polling itself is not inherently problematic, she insists transparency is essential when such data decides who gains a platform. The method used in Greymouth, where respondents were primed to focus on major-party candidates, could have skewed outcomes against smaller or independent contenders.