Has Mayor Funnell Dropped the Ball?

3 August 2026

Taupo Mayor John Funnell’s quite alarming statement on Saturday presents a single interpretation of a financial model prepared by Taupō District Council’s Chief Financial Officer. It reflects an assessment of the available financial information, and using a common financial methodology concludes that Taupō would be financially significantly disadvantaged under a Western Waikato unitary authority. Some are calling it scaremongering, and with the Mayor using terms like “hostile takeover” and saying that rates will increase tenfold – I tend to agree.

What that model does not do is examine every possible implementation of amalgamation. As the Councils Financial Officer has now confirmed to me, its purpose was to compare the financial position and performance of councils, not to predict every possible amalgamation scenario. Alternative financial structures such as legacy debt arrangements, targeted rates and staged financial integration may have been discussed as part of the broader options analysis, but were not modelled as separate financial scenarios. These distinctions matter. A comparative financial model is a valuable contribution to the debate, but it should not be mistaken for proof that every possible form of amalgamation would inevitably produce the same financial outcome. And it cannot be said to be taking all things into account. For example I have heard that Councils involved in the Western Waikato proposal have a $1B energy trust of which they are due to inherit a significant part in the year 2073, and I doubt if that was factored in. The fact of the matter is that the Mayor is presenting one possible outcome as though it were inevitable, when it simply isn’t.

However, my biggest concern is not the model. It is that we appear to have surrendered our opportunity to test assumptions, challenge conclusions and influence the proposal from within. I have now learned that Taupō District Council withdrew from discussions on the Western Waikato proposal over a month ago. If that is correct, we voluntarily gave up our seat at the table while other Councils stayed to continue the conversation. In any negotiation, being involved is almost always preferable to commenting from the sidelines, yet that seems to be where we have landed ourselves now.

I am asking Mayor John Funnell why Taupō withdrew from those discussions, and why Elected Members were not advised at the time. I believe our community deserves the answer to that question, before we decide if he has dropped the ball and is now trying to blame the other players.