Epitome of Coolness

When I asked Taupō District Council for a breakdown of their communications, PR, and contractor spending, I wasn’t expecting a fight. I also wasn’t expecting them to tell me it would take over 1,500 hours of staff time just to tell the public where the money went.

But here we are.

So let’s break down what they did tell me and what they didn’t.


Internal Comms Team: $826,850

The Council employs 9 communications staff, costing ratepayers $826,850 as of mid-2025. That’s an average of over $91,000 per person per year, which includes one role managing the website (an IT task in most other councils).

This cost is separate from any external work they contract out.
External Contractors: $80,781.01

Despite having an in-house team of nine, Council also spent:

$68,439.73 on outsourced graphic design (with $45k of that just covering staff leave)

$11,202.78 on community engagement training (Community Waikato + Exult)

$1,138.50 on political comms advice from Elizabeth Hughes during the Jon Hall engineering fraud issue


They confirmed no money was spent on PR consultants or external comms strategists beyond that.

Here’s the part that makes even less sense: most councils simply hire a temporary in-house graphic designer if someone is on leave. That would come at a much lower cost, and it’s standard practice in both public and private sectors. With nine comms staff already employed, it’s hard to justify why basic graphic design work had to be outsourced at this scale; especially when $45,000 of it was just to cover someone being away.

Digital Advertising: $29,222.87

$28,688.94 in digital ads (excluding Facebook)

$533.93 on boosted Facebook posts since 2021


That brings the confirmed total spend on communications and PR to:

$936,853.88 (2023–2025)



And that’s not even including any print material, mail-outs, signage, or physical campaign collateral ; which they declined to provide.

What They Refused to Provide

A list of contractors by name, purpose, and payment (too much effort, they said)

Any print campaign costs

Whether any of this work was competitively tendered or just handed out

Anything related to the Mayor’s spending or comms support


They claim the data is buried across 16,000 supplier transactions, and that checking each would take too long. They estimate it would take 1,525 hours to check.

You read that right.

Apparently, telling the public how public money was spent — even when asked respectfully, with a narrowed scope; is just too inconvenient.


So What Are We Paying For?

We’re paying nearly $1 million over three years to communicate with the public.

And yet:

Many residents feel out of the loop

Some councillors say even they don’t know what gets put out in their name

Critical questions about waste services, contracts, and mayoral perks still go unanswered


Maybe the issue isn’t the comms team. Maybe it’s what they’re being asked to protect.

Because transparency should never require 1,500 hours of red tape.

Sources & References:

1. Taupō District Council LGOIMA responses

Official Information Act replies received by Epitome of Coolness, July 2025.

Summary includes financial data for communications, advertising, and contractor costs.



2. Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act 1987 (LGOIMA)

Public right to request information: https://www.legislation.govt.nz



3. Elizabeth Hughes – Strategic Communications Consultant

Confirmed as a contractor hired by TDC during the Jon Hall incident (LGOIMA response, 2025).



4. Community Waikato and Exult – Engagement Training Providers

Listed in Council response as recipients of payment for community outreach workshops.



5. Council advertising and communications budget data

Facebook ad spend: $533.93 (2021–2024)

Digital ad spend (non-Facebook): $28,688.94

External graphic design services: $68,439.73



6. Taupō District Council organisational structure

9 communications staff, including web and digital roles (LGOIMA, 2025)