Kiwis have champagne taste and beer money. Tax solutions show politicians have given up – Steve Maharey

Opinion bySteve MahareyNZ Herald·5 Oct, 2026 11:58 PM6 mins to readSteve Maharey is a former minister in Helen Clark’s Labour-led Government. He was the Vice-Chancellor of Massey University and also a lecturer. He now works as an independent director. Labour leader Chris Hipkins on the campaign trail in 2023. Photo / Mark Mitchell My mother used to say she had “champagne taste and beer money”. Big aspirations, but not the cash to pay for them. She could have been talking about New Zealand. We aspire to live in a country that offers the same public services, jobs and lifestyles that the richest countries