This is a government of landlords, for landlords in the interests of landlords

MP property rich list: Our MPs have stakes in a combined $379 million of property – who owns the most?

The combined property interests of all New Zealand MPs are worth $379 million a Herald investigation has found.

That’s an average of $3m across each of our 123 Members of Parliament.

And despite the rumours, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s portfolio doesn’t top the list as the most lavish.

Parliament’s property queen is National first-term MP for Rangitīkei, Suze Redmayne, who owns $24m of property, including a farm worth $18m.

Why does it matter? MPs make decisions that can heavily impact property values – which are often enmeshed with their own personal and family fortunes.

That’s why under Parliamentary rules they have to declare the existence of all business, property and other legal interests for “transparency and confidence”.

It’s important to note a beneficial interest doesn’t imply full ownership. In 2021, David Seymour had to correct the record after it was revealed that while he did not own property, he was the beneficiary of a trust that owned his father’s house, his grandparents’ holiday home and an empty section.

This is a Government of Landlords, for Landlords in the interests of Landlords

Prime Minister Chris Luxon recently attacked criticism of his own property speculation by claiming:

Luxon said the capital gains tax policy was not about him, but about New Zealanders affected by the policy.

Actually it is about you Prime Minister.

It’s about you making $600,000 tax free via speculation.

It’s about you changing the bright light test and then personally profiting from it.
It is about you telling parents who can’t feed their kids to make a marmite sandwich.
It is about you allowing racist policy to take a front seat.
It is about your austerity plans that have seen 73,000 kiwis flee NZ.
It is about you slashing public services.
It is about you claiming every perk available while poor people can’t.

It is about your double standards and the way you have strangled the common good for your donors interests.

It is about you and your ilk running NZ for your personal profit while the people suffer.

Luxon represents a venal self interest alongside the other mega landlords who ensure their Real Estate Pimp donors interests are always above public housing when it comes to policy and that the tax rules benefit them, not NZ.

Kiwis have to stop cutting their Jacinda off to spite their race, your post covid bitterness has been manipulated into supporting rich pricks who are rooting the system for their benefit and the benefits of their crony capitalism donors.

You don’t bow to corporations Kiwi, and yet here you are worshipping at their feet because you hate the left wing person you are having a fight with on social media.

The time for petty bigotry is over, National/ACT/NZF have used culture war malice to distract you from their corruption of our legislative agenda for their donor’s interests.

Increasingly having independent opinion in a mainstream media environment which mostly echo one another has become more important than ever, so if you value having an independent voice – please donate here.