Dirty Work Exposes Taxpayers' Union's Campaign of Racist Politics

Investigative journalist Nicky Hager has released a new book called Dirty Work, which he describes as an 'exposé' of the Taxpayers' Union (TU), a group he labels 'the latest front for New Zealand's radical right'. Hager argues that the TU used anti-Māori rhetoric as a political tool during its Stop Three Waters campaign and claims that both Act leader David Seymour and National leader Christopher Luxon shifted their election campaigns to the right to gain votes.

Hager, who calls Dirty Work the third part of a trilogy beginning with The Hollow Men, focuses on the TU's activities in 2023. He writes that the group arranged a 'multi-million-dollar' campaign that influenced New Zealand's election outcome. The key figures behind this effort were the co-founders Jordan Williams and David Farrar, along with their sister organisation Hobson's Pledge, founded by Don Brash.

Hager says his book tells the story of how a 'campaign of racist politics unfolded' alongside constant attacks on opponents. He views the story as one about democracy and highlights how easily information can be manipulated through unregulated social media and weakened traditional media.