The Taxpayers’ Union is hitting back against Eleanor Catton’s cheap shots aired on Radio NZ over the weekend, where she labeled the Union 'sinister' for publishing the generous subsidies Ms Catton had received following her earlier attacks on the NZ Government being run by 'money hungry politicians' who do not care for culture. Despite its commercial success for Ms Catton, the Taxpayers’ Union exposed that New Zealand taxpayers even generously funded the The Luminaries to be translated into three languages.

Taxpayers’ Union spokesman, Jordan Williams, said:

“We are surprised that all these years later Eleanor still harbours such bitterness for us pointing out her hypocrisy.”

“We said it then, and we’ll say it again, Ms Catton should use some of the substantial royalties to pay the money back. This would mean that more up and coming artists could be funded and she would not attract the ire of taxpayer groups like ours every time she complains about New Zealand not helping the arts.”

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