Otorohanga kiwi
Ōtorohanga District Council is considering changing its logo again, and this time it will consult the community.
The new logo
Councillors at a workshop on Tuesday knocked around the idea of reverting back to the previous kiwi logo, retaining the new Te Ōhanga or The Nest logo adopted last December, adding a kiwi to The Nest, or offering a scholarship for a new logo in a competition.
The old logo
The workshop was held in response to a 380-signature petition collected by Brian Pitts-Brown and Frances Rawlings objecting to the lack of public consultation before the council replaced the kiwi logo.
Council strategy and community group manager Nardia Gower sought council direction at the workshop as to what options to include in her report being prepared for a December 9 meeting.
“It’s important we own up when we get something wrong,” she said. “I am not saying that the decision to change the logo was wrong, but the decision not to consult.
“It will be the staff recommendation that we should consult. Ask the public their logo preference and then feed that into the final decision.”
The new logo was created for the 2024-34 Long Term Plan and an accompanying brand story cost ratepayers $4830 and was rolled out around the same time as a $100,000 rebuild of the council’s website aligned to the new logo’s colours.
Rodney Dow – Otorohanga mayor
Ōtorohanga mayor Rodney Dow – who voted against introducing the logo last year – said the logo change had become quite an issue in the community.
“There’s a lot of misunderstanding, there’s a lot of miscommunication,” he said. “Good decisions are a lot cheaper in the long-term than bad ones.”
Deputy mayor Katrina Christison said a part of the community had been vocal on the current logo – but “there’s a part of the community that does not give a frig”.
Councillor Kit Jeffries couldn’t see why the council couldn’t switch back to the old logo and avoid costly consultation.
“I sometimes think we are using a hammer to crack a walnut,” he said.
Councillor Andrew Barker suggested the fourth option.
“Why don’t we open it up as a competition with an $8000 to $10,000 scholarship for a student?”
Gower said the council could provide a design brief.
Councillor Michael Woodward was worried more options would splinter public opinion but said if a kiwi were added to The Nest its beak should be yellow.
“The old logo looks like it’s stuck in the eighties,” he said.
Councillor Shane Carr said he had spoken to two of the initiators of the petition around the idea of placing a kiwi in the nest.
“They said that was quite a good compromise,” he said.
There was further debate over whether burrow was a better name for the logo if it were to contain a kiwi.
Councillor Tayla Barclay was keen for the council to present the community with three options.
