Wairarapa branding icon axed | Wairarapa News | Local News in Wairarapa

WAIRARAPA's motto Right on Balance has toppled over and is recognised as no longer having a part to play in promoting the district.

Both Masterton's mayor, Bob Francis, and Go Wairarapa General Manager , Kelvin Speirs, accept that the attempt to use Right on Balance as a catch-cry for "branding" Wairarapa has failed.

According to Mr Speirs far more people are familiar with the logo Wairarapa- Capital Country Escape that is specifically targeted at attracting Wellington visitors to the district.

He said although Capital Country Escape is not ideal for use as a wider tourism tool it has had a much greater impact than the ill-fated Right on Balance.

Mr Speirs said Right on Balance had failed to take-off for several reasons.

He said there had been confusion over what message it sent, people hadn't embraced it as a way to associate with Wairarapa and it hadn't been enforced as a brand, even by the three territorial local bodies.

Go Wairarapa, he said, had never been charged with the responsibility to market or manage the brand.

Mr Speirs said very few regional brands are successful, with the notable exception of Wellington's Absolutely Positive branding.

Mr Francis said Right on Balance was " dead".

He said he wasn't fretting about it ? " you have to try these things."

Mr Francis said the motto had caught on briefly but soon fizzled out.

Right on Balance was born in the wake of an economic summit in the mid 1990s and launched, as the district's official brand, by the then Masterton Business Enterprise in 1998.

It was meant to portray Wairarapa as having a balance of two sides of life ? enterprise and lifestyle.

From the start it ran into criticism with a Times-Age street poll showing that many people thought its message was far too obscure for it to succeed.

Outside of Capital Country Escape the most widely known Wairarapa motto is probably Carterton's Daffodil Capital tag.

Carterton mayor Gary McPhee said his personal view is that the old motto used to promote the district ? " Carterton, Hub of the Wairarapa" was more effective.

He would like to see it returned with a slight amendment.

"It could read Colourful Carterton ? Hub of the Wairarapa and perhaps in brackets underneath say actually of the whole Wellington region."

Compass readings would prove that to be the case, he said.

In the days before local body amalgamation town logos were more commonly used.

Featherston was touted as "Gateway to the Wairarapa" and Greytown as the "Fruitbowl of the Wairarapa.".