Let's Go, Taupō' – an affiliation of council hopefuls who plan to stand in October's local body elections – have moved early into campaign mode.
About 50 people attended a public meeting at the Acacia Bay Community Hall on Tuesday (June 17) to listen to three of the group, and possibly a fourth, outline their backgrounds and reasons for standing.
The Candidates
Hope Woodward, who will contest the Mangakino-Pouakani Ward, was joined by Rebecca Stafford and Ann Tweedie, while wildcard Peter Wilding added his name late to the list of speakers, noting during question time that he wasn't officially in the group but would be if they'd have him.
Their speeches followed one by incumbent Taupō District councillor Duncan Campbell with the evening also punctuated somewhat inexplicably by chair Tristan Baynham playing two excerpts of a woman submitting to a long-term plan meeting in Hutt City.
Council Criticism
She seemed to accuse that council of being part of a globalist agenda that would lead to debt bondage through ever increasing rates and urged it to stop spending money on any climate change reduction measures, cease moves to encourage cycling, end traffic calming measures, cut staff numbers and reduce the excessive use of road cones.
These themes were not particularly picked up by the four speakers though council staff numbers came in for a drubbing and a question from the floor at the end of the night seeking to clarify whether the candidates-to-be were anti-vax, anti-fluoride and climate change sceptics wasn't clearly answered.
Duncan Campbell
In outlining life on the council, Campbell declared he felt it had a lot of failings.
"Not so much a problem with council processes, it's a problem with the truth where information does get buried, elected members get silenced and decisions get quietly manipulated backstage…
"But it's one thing I have learned, you do not make any noise for change by just blending in and you don't build trust by going along for the sake of harmony… it is not a place you should expect to be making friends either."
A lack of transparency, the withholding of information to elected members and the public, the silencing of dissent, an inverted chain of command – needed to be overthrown with what he hesitated to call a "literal revolution" but said was needed "relatively speaking".
His suggested solutions included: an audio-visual record for the public of all meetings and forums, staff reports in a shareable format; rates increases tied to inflation; and a change to standing orders to encourage more uninhibited discussion..
Rebecca Stafford
Stafford delivered a lesson in opportunity cost using the Boom Boom sculpture as an example to demonstrate that if the council had rather put money towards paying off debt it could have saved $117,000 in compound interest over 20 years.
Admitting $60,000 given to the Taupō Sculpture Trust via the accelerator fund was not spent on Boom Boom, she still included this in her overall reckoning.
However, her principal point, she said, was to imagine a future where the council would consider the best value it could get for any dollar before making spending decisions.
"That is going to honour you who have paid the money and create the paradigm shift that we need to create the future that we want."
Hope Woodward
Woodward outlined how she felt TDC had neglected Mangakino.
"A lake front development that's been dragging on for years with little to no progress, a damaged boat ramp left still unfixed… Dangerous summer parking, right next to our children's playground. The removal of an iconic local food bus for a project that hasn't even started."
She said she was proud to be part of a team of candidates standing across the Taupō district.
"We'll be focussing on completing essential projects only, limit borrowing to what's truly necessary, reduce overstaffing where appropriate, use inhouse expertise instead of costly external consultants, inhouse audits and have a clear loan payment scheme for the district to see and hold us accountable to."
Ann Tweedie
In the longest address of the evening Ann Tweedie detailed her past, including some local body experience in Hastings and being part of the Unity Taumarunui Group that had served papers against members of the previous Labour government for crimes against humanity and genocide based on findings from the international common law court of justice (a body not recognised by mainstream legal authorities and whose legitimacy is disputed).
One of her biggest concerns was out of control debt, she said.
She felt residents' long term plan submissions were not taken seriously by the council.
"Instead of prioritising financial prudence, we have seen questionable spending decisions."
However, with Local Water Done Well she thought the council was taking a balanced approach but expressed concern that central government was heading towards one umbrella for all water services.
"Let's make our voices heard… make sure we stay strong and independent, and let's make sure our council works for us, not for government mandates that are being shoved through."
Peter Wilding
Wilding presented his background enthusiastically, at times obscuring the slideshow presentation of his various personality test results.
At one point he described himself as "a Taupō lad born and bred" at another as a "middle aged bloke" at another as young, but also as having transitioned to a big strong man after suffering an aneurism haemorrhage when 12 (that leaves his speech slightly slurred).
He claimed "vast experience in government" – though the evidence later seemed to be a stint working for the council about five years ago, as a district ambassador.
"My job didn't have much point at all, I was paid incredibly well, and what I did see was such a waste of money."
He also said he had a background in retail, finance, sales, marketing, hospitality, management, business development and as an entrepreneur.
The future was artificial, he said, and he would use Artificial Intelligence if elected to help him analyse documents and do the job more efficiently.
"I'm here to lead Taupō into the next generation."
Fact Check
A social media post by Wilding later erroneously claimed that Boom Boom cost ratepayers $178,300. As already reported the council contributed $100,000 in 2018 to the Taupō Sculpture Trust. TDC contributed $18,300 for the concrete pad, with installation undertaken by the sculptor. The $60,000 over three years contestable accelerator fund grant to the TST was one awarded to several community groups this year and not for Boom Boom.
Candidates expressed concern about the growing number of employees at the TDC. Figures provided by the council (all staff including part-time and casual employees – who only work as required) for the last five years, at June each year, are –
2025: 408,
2024: 429,
2023: 406,
2022: 342* (figure does not include casual staff),
2021: 357,
2020: 376
Campbell, called a past mistake of council... "Mandating perfectly competent people out of a job on unjust and unjustified health and safety concerns, during the Covid 19 pandemic." Figures from council indicate five staff elected to resign under its vaccination policy and a further nine left as a result of the government's Public Health (Response) Order 2021 - Education. The council says its vaccination policy was decided by management at the time, based on the assessed level of risk.
