Your Voice Matters
Local councillors make decisions that affect your rates, roads, water, and the future of your community. They rely on feedback
Latest News
Trump’s War Shouldn’t Mean Rate Increases
The text below is that of myself John Funnell, not necessarily that of the Taupo District Councillors. Trump’s war has
ANZAC Day Speech Mayor John
25th April 2026 Good morning, I am Mayor John Funnell and I welcome each and every one of you here
About John
John Funnell is a long time Taupo resident, pilot & businessman. For much of his career he has flown search & rescue missions, including some of the most technically challenging there have been. In business John has owned, operated or directed Helicopter Services, Heliharvest, Taupo Tandem Skydiving and is the former Chief Executive of Philips Search & Rescue Trust.
John is best known for his work as a rescue pilot, publishing the book “Rescue Pilot” telling the stories of numerous rescues and the brave & dedicated professionals he worked with. He started flying at a very young age, starting Agricultural work in fixed wing aircraft, moving to helicopters early in his career. He has flown all manner of aircraft types & has retained his love of flying throughout his career.
While John has a hearing loss, he has found the audio in the council chamber is excellent. He lost his hearing as a result of antibiotics administered following bad sepsis as the result of an operation. The alternative, death, was not acceptable to John.
Like many in Taupo with family spread around the country & around the world, John wishes his kids and grandkids could see a future for them in Taupo. High housing costs and a lack of good job opportunities means that many who want to live in Taupo cannot, and as Mayor John will focus council on fixing the problems that make it difficult for young people to choose to live here.
Why John Is Serving
John is serving the people of the Taupo district because he has become increasingly frustrated at the constant rates rises. Council staff numbers have expanded massively in the last decade, yet services have not improved, housing costs have increased and ratepayers feel they are not getting value for money for their rates.
John will return council to core business, starting with introducing a rates cap. He will be as disciplined as he has been in his own business in finding cost savings, sticking to the things that matter, and eliminating waste. Additionally I will be looking for opportunities to increase council income from targeted additional rates which will ease the burden on ordinary rate payers.
John believes council needs to treat ratepayers like customers of a commercial operation, not an ATM machine. His business background means that he does not think the council should relentlessly increase its rates, because in business, a business that relentlessly increases costs would lose all its customers.
The Issues
Rates Rises
Over the last twelve years rates have risen too far and put too much of a burden on Taupo residents. John has a long career in the private sector of finding cost savings while providing value to customers and he will do this with the Council. If elected John will propose capping rates to the rate of inflation plus population growth as his first action as Mayor.
Housing
If we want our kids & grandkids to be able to live in Taupo we need housing to be affordable. This means increasing the housing supply, whether it is for home owners or renters. We need more land zoned for housing and options for rapidly building infrastructure to new developments.
Compliance & Getting Things Done
John wants to be a Mayor who gets the council to understand that their role is to help people build in the district, whether a large industrial property, a family home or a garage. Dealing with the council when building needs to be simple & certain if you are working within the rules. Council staff need to help, not send out constant Requests for Information (RIFs) and create complexity where we need solutions, not problems.
What people say about your Mayor
“One of the major shortcomings of democracy is attracting suitable people to put their names forward to become elected and lead our communities. We need people with vision and energy, people who have a track record of hard work and success stemming from their ability to build a great team around them, manage fiscal aspects responsibly and recognise opportunities as they arise. I have known John Funnell for more than forty years and he has all the aforementioned attributes. Both as a friend and fellow businessman I have seen and admired John’s ability turn ventures that were struggling into extremely successful enterprises.
John’s devotion to the cause of rescue helicopter and air ambulance services is well documented and helps to illustrate the personality of a man that is driven to use his tenacity and many skills to help improve our communities.
Taupo is indeed fortunate to have someone of the calibre of John Funnell willing to stand for the mayoralty. John, you have my admiration and full support.
Good luck.”
Chris Jolly
Previous owner of Chris Jolly Outdoors
“It is refreshing to see someone standing for the Taupo Mayoralty who has had a long-term invested interest in the region, in both business and community service. John Funnell brings an acute understanding of both operating businesses and services and the impact of local government decisions on all in our community.
I believe his practical, pragmatic and common-sense approach to all he does will be an asset to Taupo. I have known John for over 30 years and have an association through business and tourism, as did my father before me. John’s passion for our region and belief in equality for all, would make John an excellent choice to lead our next council.”
Chris Wilson
Tourism Operator & Tourism Lake Taupo Committee Member
“I have known John Funnell in the aviation industry for over 50 years. He has achieved significant success in a safety-conscious and financially demanding environment. Despite numerous challenges in establishing a rescue and air ambulance service, John set up four air ambulance and rescue helicopter bases in the central North Island that provided vital assistance to the community. From my experience I have found him to be highly motivated and over his aviation time he has worked at national level with other government agencies which will hold him in good steed for managing this position. John’s business skills will be of great benefit to the council and ratepayers.
Sir Richard Hayes
KNZM
“John, I couldn’t think of a better person to have as the mayor of Taupo. After your many years of successful and often pioneering business, the Taupo community would be extremely lucky to have you at the helm. I was personally lucky enough to be given an opportunity by John to run one of his businesses at a young age, and the years we spent working together have left me with a different way of looking at problems after watching John’s relentless drive to never give up or accept something can’t be done. Every time there was a difficulty in the business, John would always say, “You show me the problem, and I’ll show you three solutions.” Every single time, he delivered with a number of solutions and always came up with a way to fix the problem, no matter how difficult it may have been. With every other person saying it can’t be done, it’s fair to say problem-solving is one of John’s great strengths.
A testament to John’s character is something I’ll never forget. I left John and his business and started another business in competition. John did what no others would ever have done: instead of going to battle, he supported and helped me to succeed as a competitor. Taupo, if you want someone to solve any problems the community has with common sense and practical solutions, John is the man for the job. You most certainly have my support and vote.”
Tony Green
Sky Dive Auckland