Incorporating council logo will not be costly

Auckland Council says incorporating its pohutukawa logo into Watercare Services Ltd branding will not cost the council-controlled organisation millions of dollars.

“There have been some reports that this will cost $3 million, which is incorrect,” says Councillor Richard Northey, chair of the council’s Accountability and Performance Committee.

“As with all our other CCOs, we have decided that the incorporation of the pohutukawa into Watercare’s branding will be done over time as stationery and signage need replacing, so it can be done at minimal cost.”

To date Auckland Council has spent just $4000 from existing budgets on incorporating the pohutukawa into the other CCO brands and developing guidelines.

Cr Northey says the establishment of the Auckland Council means there is now a single authority for the region.

“Watercare is wholly owned by Auckland Council so it makes good sense for it to share branding and a logo."

There is a process underway to align the brands for council and its seven council-controlled organisations.

Council research shows that two years since its establishment, 74 per cent of Auckland residents associate the pohutakawa logo with Auckland Council, but there was a weak association between council-controlled organisations and Auckland Council with only up to 15 per cent recognition.

In the three months since CCOs started rolling out the new combined logos, recognition of their logos and sub-brands has increased up to 35 per cent.

Mayor Len Brown says that any talk about spending $3 million on a complete rebrand is ridiculous.

"It's important to have a common identity across all of council's activities and we're doing that by systematically adding the existing council logo to our council-controlled organisations," he says.

“Ratepayers rightfully want to know what their money is funding.”