Our Town Motueka looking for new name and brand

August 5th, 2015
[by David Armstrong]

Our Town Motueka is looking for a new name and brand, and its offering a $500 voucher to spend locally for the winning idea.

The business promotion organisation has decided that its present name and brand is not attractive to outsiders and does not adequately reflect what the town has to offer to visitors and potential new residents.

In a post on , it asks for "your ideas for a fresh new brand to promote Motueka to the world".

"No idea is a silly idea to get the creative juices flowing and think about how you'd love our slice of paradise to be represented to potential visitors and new residents."

Within three hours of the posting today there were already about 30 suggestions and growing.

Asked for more specifics, the convenor of the naming initiative, Johny O'Donnell, wrote "We're looking specifically for a new name to replace 'Our Town Motueka' which is currently a promotional body for the town.

"The brand is 'Motueka' but we're looking for a catchy name to help us with our promotions and we currently feel that 'Our Town Motueka' is not very inclusive or attractive to visitors.

"Other examples include Uniquely Nelson, Richmond Unlimited, Go Geraldine and Absolutely Positive Wellington. We're after a name that has the same effect as these other regional brands.

"After a series of strategic workshops with the Our Town Motueka committee and other community stakeholders, we have decided to undergo a rebranding process for Our Town Motueka.

"We have exciting plans to develop a new website, lift the online presence of Motueka and create new opportunities to attract visitors to the town. We want a fresh, appealing and relevant brand to take to market."

To enter the competition, simply post or comment your idea on or email it to .

This change will be the third incarnation of the organisation which began as MainStreet about 25 years ago aiming to lift the vitality of the shopping precinct following the closure of the tobacco industry and the resulting local recession.

Its work continues to encourage and support local retailers and businesses to remain strong in challenging times, especially with the rapid growth of online commerce.

The committee has been working hard this year to work out where its main focus should be, and is in the process of changing its trust deed to reflect its primary aim of serving its members - the local businesses who pay a targeted commercial rate - to help them thrive.

Given its limited resources of both manpower and finances, the committee now agrees that it will best achieve its goal by "maintaining effective communication between businesses, promoting Motueka through a variety of media, delivering and supporting events which stimulate economic activity, fostering business development and education, and building collaborative relationships with other Motueka community groups".

Our Town Motueka will hold its annual general meeting on Thursday September 17th and hopes are high for a strong committee.

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