From Elliot Ikilei at Hobsons Pledge.

Here is his full email received about an hour ago.

Attention to supporters in Taupō, and to everyone else because this could be coming to a Council near you. 

Taupō District Council is about to sign an updated Joint Management Agreement (JMA) with Ngāti Tūwharetoa.
You probably haven’t heard about it.
That’s the problem.

Unlike the original 2009 agreement — which followed eight months of negotiation and a documented series of public and hapū meetings — this proposed update is being advanced with no public visibility at all. Staff have argued it doesn’t meet the threshold for consultation under Council’s Significance and Engagement Policy, despite the fact it introduces provisions well beyond the scope of the original 2009 JMA.

Their justification? That Council already operates informally in this way with Ngāti Tūwharetoa. This should set off alarm bells — it means major decisions are already being shaped, without public mandate, consultation, or transparency.

The draft introduces six major structural changes that go well beyond the original 2009 agreement — changes that reshape both the scope and nature of council governance in Taupō.

1. Expanded jurisdiction
The new JMA covers the entire Taupō Moana catchment and all its tributaries — not just the Waikato River.
No consultation.
No notice.

2. Governance by Treaty principle
Concepts like mana, rangatiratanga, and kaitiakitanga are being built into resource management; embedding iwi authority deeper into resource governance, with potential implications for both development decisions and financial commitments. Council staff are already being directed to undergo Treaty “partnership” training.
Translation: indoctrination. 

3. Policy influence without authority
No formal powers are being delegated — but language around “values alignment” and “shared understanding” sets the stage for de-facto co-governance. We’ve seen before that when language suggests co-governance or partnership, it becomes reality in practice.

4. No financial guardrails
The draft contains vague commitments to capacity building and collaboration — but no defined budgets, no fiscal safeguards, and no accountability for how ratepayer money may be spent. This is one of the biggest risks in the agreement.

5. No reporting or oversight
There are no requirements for public-facing reports, performance monitoring, or financial transparency. Ratepayers could be locked into a deal with no ability to track what’s happening or how much it’s costing.

6. Consultation sidelined
This update has skipped the public entirely. An internal report arguing that consultation isn’t required was only released hours before the last Council workshop — despite formal requests to see it earlier. 

Taupō residents deserve better from their elected representatives.

The draft agreement embeds co-governance directly into council operations. It sets expectations around shared values and Treaty-based concepts that position iwi alongside elected representatives in decision-making.

This was brought to our attention just days before the Council hosts a public workshop — this Thursday, 3 July.

The timing is no coincidence.
If you live in the Taupō District, show up. Ask questions.
Don’t let this slide through quietly.Contact your local councillors directly and demand the full draft agreement be released for public scrutiny before anything is signed.
Mayor David Trewavas dtrewavas@taupo.govt.nz
Deputy Mayor Kevin Taylor councillortaylor@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Kirsty Trueman councillortrueman@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Duncan Campbell councillorcampbell@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Christine Rankin councillorrankin@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Rachel Shepherd councillorshepherd@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Yvonne Westerman councillorwesterman@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor John Williamson councillorwilliamson@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Kylie Leonard councillorleonard@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Karam Fletcher councillorfletcher@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Danny Loughlin councillorloughlin@taupo.govt.nz
Councillor Sandra Greenslade councillorgreenslade@taupo.govt.nz
And to everyone else — watch your local council. Because if it’s happening in Taupō, it can happen anywhere.We’ll keep you updated.He iwi tahi tātou / We are one people,Elliot Ikilei
Trustee
Hobson’s PledgeHobson’s Pledge
https://www.hobsonspledge.nz/

Recommendation:

I see Christine Rankin is a Taupo Councillor and I would be very surprised if she favours this undemocratic move. However, she is probably a lone voice so I urge all readers to email the Mayor and Councillors voicing your opposition to this move.

Because if we do nothing it will be coming at a rate of knots to your council.

I will be emailing later today.