Flanker Timi Teepa was excellent in the open play while No8 Tremaine Gilbert was tackling the Utiku pack like they owed him money.
Taihape's discipline remains contentious with referee Ben Lourie whistling up a lot of free kicks for the underdogs, but Utiku's follow-up set pieces were a muddle as opposing locks Hamish Bennett and Johnson Hiroa were lifted to steal the lineouts until Utiku just gambled on throwing right to the back.
Utiku No8 and tryscorer Jamie Brett tried his hardest, as did hooker Jake Anderson, while the pace of centre Emori Lokoviko will be an asset once he finds his feet after a stuttering effort.
Utiku now having depth on the bench did help them in the final quarter - scoring their try while holding out Taihape until the last play of the game.
Whale was pleased as historically their Memorial Park neighbours have often dragged his team down to their level, but it was obvious on the day that Taihape's conditioning and continuity was a class above.
"They're very one dimensional," Whale said of Utiku.
"I hoped that the score was going to be something like that."
It sets up a massive clash this coming weekend with fellow frontrunners Waverley Harvesting Border, although Taihape won't have their inspirational No8 as Gilbert is off to Dunedin for work over the next month.
"We've got enough depth, we'll be okay," said Whale.
Utiku coach Matt Gilbert said the difference was Taihape's core squad of young guys have now had three to four years together.
"They just moved the ball a bit wider on us and we couldn't shut them down. Time and space - and they just deal with it."
Fixing the lineout communications will be a top priority. "That was a couple of brain explosions but we can work on that."
Every player from backs to the props in Ritchie Iorns and Hadlee Horton was passing with confidence for Flaws to open the scoring in the 12th minute, then Dane Whale sliced through a gap and shook off two tacklers to send Transom over.
Both Whale and Utiku first-five Will Hands traded penalties for 15-3, before Taihape again attacked the line after regathering a Whale chip, with Paringatai dragging three tacklers over the line with him.
Taihape hurt Utiku right after the break with a Whale penalty and immediate try as Paringatai got his second after good leadup from Whale, Flaws and flanker Dylan Maloney.
Horton made another big run and held off three defenders long enough to pop the ball to Wells who scooted over in the corner for 35-3.
Working forward off free kicks Utiku finally got to Taihape's line and eventually Brett managed to squeeze over in the far corner. But Taihape kept up the tactical kicking, making a tired Utiku turn to regather and then rumble from their own 22m, and the eventual turnover saw the loose forwards spread the ball to Transom to score on fulltime.
-Taihape 40 (C Paringatai 2, T Transom 2, J Flaws, T Wells tries; D Whale 2 pen, 2 con) bt Utiku 8 (J Brett try; W Hands pen). HT: 20-3.
