Costly name change for Teachers Council ‘not clever’

The Education Council of Aotearoa New Zealand will have a $220,000 bill to change its name for the second time in three years.

A marketing expert has slammed the re-brand as negligent.

The cost will cover re-branding business cards, stationery, logos on email signatures, promotional pens, and legal fees to become the Teaching Council of Aotearoa. It was formerly the New Zealand Teachers Council.

The renaming has come about with changes the Government is making through the Education Amendment Bill. These include the much lauded announcement it would give teachers the right to elect seven representatives to the professional body. A further six would be appointed by the minister of education.

Companies often re-branded after management or directional changes, but there was a chance of alienating its audience in the process, Spire Digital creative director Julian Churchman said.

‘‘There’s brand equity in a name. Changing a name is a significant thing to do and changing it again after such a short time, it’s malpractice really. It’s not clever.’’

A re-brand needed strong reasons to justify a change but the council’s move appeared to be a ‘‘big spend of public money’’, Churchman added.

It would involve an overhaul of URLS, hyperlinks, logos, internal communications and culture shake-ups that can cost anywhere from $50,000 for a smaller company to over $1 million, he said.

If the name change costs are passed on to teachers through registration fees, it could add a financial burden, Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) president Jack Boyle said.

Although the PPTA had been happy about the changes to the council make-up announced in February, the organisation may submit about the cost concerns to the education and workforce select committee.

But the change was not all bad for the PPTA.

‘‘The potential positives of the name change are that our regulatory body would again have a name that references what we actually do – teaching,’’ Boyle said.

The name change would likely have a ‘‘minimal’’ impact on students, teachers and the wider community associated with the previous name and it was hoped there would be ‘‘longevity’’ in this latest re-brand of the organisation, Boyle said.

‘‘This wasn’t done properly under the previous administration hence the need for changes, but this time we are hopeful there won’t need to be frequent iterations of names, fees, and functions, because it is being done in partnership with the sector.’’