Mike Baker's letter‘Be Very Afraid' (The Weekend Sun, December 12) castigates the Tauranga City Council for spending, I prefer the word investing, ratepayers funds studying the amalgamation issue.

Mike also lambastes TCC for its now-discarded investigation into the plastic waka.
Prudent business practice requires that 'first do your homework” before entering into a business venture - and in both instances TCC does precisely that.

With the waka, the business case did not stack up so the proposal was rightly canned. In the case of local body amalgamation, ratepayers insist on knowing the ramifications of this beforehand and expenditure doing this investigation is money well invested.

When the amalgamation discussion does happen I expect TCC, as our representative, to be open with ratepayers, negotiate from a position of strength, be in possession of all the facts and achieve the best outcome for the citizens of Tauranga, both now and into the future.

M Lewis, Mount Maunganui.