Ruapehu Mayor Weston Kirton has announced an independent investigation into significant overspending within Council’s Community and Recreational Services, which oversees parks, reserves, public toilets, administration buildings and local walking/cycling tracks.

Mayor Kirton emphasised his awareness of community concerns and reiterated his commitment to addressing the issue decisively.

"As mayor, I want to assure our community this matter is being taken extremely seriously," Mayor Kirton said.

"I have brought in an independent consultant to thoroughly investigate how this overspend occurred, including examining the decision-making processes and identifying why it was not picked up sooner."

He stressed the importance of ensuring the investigation is fair, balanced, and adheres strictly to natural justice and procedural fairness.

"I have reminded elected members that our responsibility is to hold the chief executive accountable. It is the chief executive who manages internal processes and staffing matters. Staff involved - who are also ratepayers - deserve fairness, respect, and due process throughout this investigation."

Council’s Chief Executive Clive Manley had already initiated an internal review upon discovering the overspend. This internal review, supported by the independent investigation, will examine decision-making procedures with findings on how processes can be improved will be reported back to Council.

"This situation requires calm and adherence to a proper legal process. Calling for disciplinary actions or dismissals on social media is irresponsible and could expose Council and ratepayers to costly legal repercussions. This is a time for responsible governance, not Facebook talkback," Mayor Kirton stated.

"It is worth remembering that the overspent funds have not gone missing or been misappropriated. The expenditure has been on valuable community assets, including the river walkway in Taumarunui and reserve maintenance across the district.

Nevertheless, the overspend is serious, and we are addressing it accordingly."

Mayor Kirton assured the community that Council remains dedicated to transparency, accountability, and maintaining public trust.

I look forward to updating our community on the outcomes of these investigations and detailing the actions we will implement to ensure this does not happen again," he concluded.

Mayor Weston Kirton has announced an independent investigation into significant overspending within Council’s Community and Recreational Services activity which includes parks, reserves, public toilets, administration buildings and local cycling/walking tracks.

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