'News to me': Labour MPs unaware of streaming tax bill, party ditches it

The Labour Party ditched a member’s bill proposing a streaming levy at about the same time National pointed out it contradicted Chris Hipkins’ claim he was ruling out introducing such a tax. 

Some Labour MPs the Herald spoke to afterwards weren’t aware they had earlier been supporting a bill proposing a new tax. One said he had “no idea”, while another said they didn’t know about that and would “go and find out”. 

Labour MP Willie Jackson had a member’s bill in the ballot to introduce a levy on streaming companies, which the bill said would “create a substantial revenue stream to finance the production of local content”. 

“This Bill provides for a levy to be imposed to ensure a small portion of the revenue gained from New Zealand subscribers is returned to New Zealand audiences to ensure a sustainable local production industry that can tell our nation’s stories using the most powerful cultural medium we have – our screens.” 

The Herald saw the piece of legislation on the Parliament website on Tuesday morning. 

The website said the bill, under Jackson’s name, was lodged in September 2025 with the support of Labour MPs. However, it had been in the ballot previously under Labour MP’s Reuben Davidson’s name since November 2024. 

National campaign chairman Simeon Brown brought attention to the legislation on social media, suggesting Hipkins was a “serial flip-flopper” for telling reporters he could rule out a streaming tax, while his caucus was supporting a bill to introduce one. 

About the same time that post was made, the member’s bill disappeared from Parliament’s website, with the page now bringing up an error message. 

Labour leader Chris Hipkins said it had been an oversight. Photo / Mark Mitchell 

Hipkins told reporters afterwards that it had been an “administrative oversight” to continue having that bill in the ballot. 

“One of the things that we’ve been doing as we’re finalising the manifesto is going through the member’s ballot and making sure that everything that’s in the member’s ballot matches what we’re committing to in the election campaign,” he said. 

The leader said he had sent an instruction for the bill to be withdrawn “as soon as I became aware of it”. 

Asked why he hadn’t previously been aware of it, Hipkins said he didn’t have a list of all member’s bills in the ballot. 

He said he had been told the bill was being withdrawn last night, though it was still online on Tuesday morning. 

Kieran McAnulty, Labour’s campaign chairman, said his party had been clear it would only introduce a capital gains tax (CGT) after the election. 

Asked about the member’s bill, he said: “You’ll have to talk to them. I don’t know what the story is with [Jackson’s] bill.” 

He said every Labour member’s bill that is in the ballot has the party’s MPs’ names attached to it. 

“It wouldn’t have got into the ballot if we didn’t [support it],” McAnulty said. 

The bill should have been withdrawn when a decision was made not to campaign on a streaming tax, he said. 

Helen White said she would "go and find out" about the bill. Photo / Brett Phibbs 

The Parliament website lists MPs who have signalled they are supporting the proposed legislation. In this case, it listed all 34 Labour MPs. 

The Herald asked a number whether they had been aware that, as of this morning, they had been supporting a streaming tax. 

Dan Rosewarne, a Labour MP, said: “I have no idea about that, sorry.” 

When it was pointed out his name was listed as supporting the legislation, he said: “I have no idea. It’s news to me.” 

Helen White, MP for Mt Albert, said she was “not sure I knew that, but I think there are some things about that that I will go and find out”. 

The Herald said Labour MPs were listed as supporting Jackson’s bill, with White responding: “Yeah, I will go and find out more.” 

Priyanca Radhakrishnan said she didn’t know she had been supporting a streaming tax. 

“Oh, this is news to me. I’ll have to look into it. I mean, if it’s in the ballot, we would have discussed it at some point. I just don’t recall it off the top of my head.” 

Asked whether his MPs should know what legislation they are supporting, Hipkins said they would have when it was introduced nearly two years ago but “subsequent to that, we’ve made other decisions”. 

Barbara Edmonds said she was aware there had been a member’s bill previously and stressed Labour would only campaign on a CGT. 

Deborah Russell also said she knew about the bill, noting it had been to caucus. 

Jackson said Hipkins had been “very clear” that Labour was “tidying up everything”. 

“You can and try make a big deal about it. But it’s an administrative thing with us.” 

He initially wouldn’t say when a decision was made to pull the bill, saying he was “not interested”. Later, he said the decision had been made as the party had been tidying up over the “last month”. 

Questions regarding a streaming tax were raised when National brought attention to comments by Davidson, Labour’s media spokesman, in January that were supportive of implementing a levy. 

Davidson on Tuesday said he was referring to the member’s bill the party had, but said Labour had been clear it would only implement a CGT if it was successful at the election. 

He said removing the member’s bill “made it super clear for everybody” that the party only had one tax as its policy. 

National’s finance spokeswoman Nicola Willis said Labour was “not credible”. 

“There is a bunch of people wandering off in different directions finding new ways to take money from Kiwis’ back pockets.” 

Paul Goldsmith, the current Media Minister, said he could rule out introducing a streaming levy if National is re-elected. 

Jamie Ensor is the NZ Herald’s chief political reporter, based in the press gallery at Parliament. He was previously a TV reporter and digital producer in the Newshub press gallery office. He was a finalist in 2025 for Political Journalist of the Year at the Voyager Media Awards.