Push to rename ‘boring’ Blenheim

The name Marlborough is known around the world thanks to the wine industry, but some Kiwis still draw a blank when it comes to Blenheim, a local group says.

So they want to change its name to Marlborough City.

A group of businesspeople from the region – most from the wine and hospitality sectors – are pushing for the change to attract more visitors and leverage off the success of the local wine industry.

Allan Scott Family Estate general sales manager Mitchell Gardiner said he knew people might laugh at the idea but the group was motivated for the good of the area.

After attending a show by comedian Dai Henwood where Blenheim was the butt of several jokes, Gardiner said he’d become concerned that people might perceive the town as boring. Marlborough was seen as a desirable location overseas but no-one had any idea where Blenheim was, he added.

His group wanted to change that and help Blenheim unlock its tourism potential.

Gardiner said the town was warmer than Queenstown and smelled less than Rotorua, but it was missing out on visitor dollars because of a lack of recognition.

Moa Brewing Company founder Josh Scott fully supported the idea. ‘‘It’s not about becoming a big city. We can get more value out of Blenheim just by making a small change to Marlborough City.’’

The last census put the town’s population at 26,550 – far short of the 50,000 needed for a city – but he said this didn’t alter their choice.

‘‘Technically, we’re not a city, but we’re not really getting stuck up on the semantics; it’s about giving us more of a profile.’’

The group’s next step was putting an ad in the local paper and starting a social-media page to gauge interest in the project.

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman was surprised by the idea but said it would likely face ‘‘a lot of opposition . . . as there’s a lot of history here’’.

To change a place name, applicants must lobby the New Zealand Geographic Board.