The case of a small business owner being asked to prove her business is 'Māori owned' demonstrates the absurd cost of the Government's Māori procurement rules, says the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union.

Union spokesman Jordan Williams says, "We were the first to raise the alarm over 'indigenous procurement' policies back in 2019, when we found the idea buried deep in a Cabinet paper. Now that the policy has been rammed through without consultation, we're seeing the ugly results."

"We should welcome government entities reviewing contracts to maximise value, but that's not what's happening here. A government entity is threatening a specialist contractor's livelihood on the basis of her race. It's almost unbelievable that this could happen in 2021 in a developed country."

"Minifies has been contracting to the Defence Force since 2009. Presumably they've kept this contract because they provide good value and specialised services to the taxpayer. Chopping off best-placed contractors for the sake of political correctness will result in second-best contractors providing less value for the taxpayer."

"New Zealanders shouldn't be forced to lie about their family background, or to pay genealogists and consultants to verify their Māori credentials, in order to offer services to the Government. The key consideration – in fact, the only consideration – in Government procurement should be value for the taxpayer."

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