South Waikato council staff described the proposal involving Rotorua, South Waikato and Taupō as “less viable” without Taupō, according to documents prepared for its Thursday meeting. Tapsell said the deal with South Waikato appeared to be “triple locked in” but a “plot twist” had left Rotorua without an amalgamation partner. “I’ve had a good conversation with [South Waikato Mayor] Gary [Petley] about this, basically asking, ‘Bro, why?’” Under the Head Start rules, Rotorua could include South Waikato in a proposal without its support because Rotorua is the larger territorial authority. However, council documents show the shift came after a series of discussions between South Waikato, Rotorua and other councils.