On May 4, 2006, the Evergreen Freedom Foundation hosted a lunch in Seattle and a dinner in Spokane with the distinguished Maurice McTigue. As a former Member of New Zealand's Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Ambassador, McTigue was able to speak from experience on the benefits of forcing government to focus on the performance of its spending.

McTigue spoke about his role in what is known as the "New Zealand Miracle" and how Washington could accomplish the same results.

According to McTigue, New Zealand was in a similar situation to what Washington is now experiencing. Facing ongoing budget deficits and rampant public debt, in 1984 New Zealand's elected officials decided it was time for meaningful government reform. Budget writers asked a simple question: "What did we get in public benefits as a result of the expenditure of money?" Answering this question led to major reforms and resulted in overwhelming economic success for the country.