Porirua’s $98,000 rebranding

other hand, needed clear branding that stood them apart and formed brand loyalties.

Wright said there was a chance the cost of the logo could have been done more cheaply. However, it was difficult to determine the value from the outside as there may be other changes that raised the costs such as website, letterhead and service centre updates.

But Porirua Chamber of Commerce advisory board member Hamish Mexted said it had been two years since the rebrand work had begun and the council’s business plan was still not clear.

While the cost of the exercise was more than just the smiley face, he said the commercial and residential community should know more about the value of its $30,000 strategic plan which began in 2017.

He questioned why taxpayers were finding out about the expenses after the fact, calling out the exercise for having a lack of transparency.

Without it, he said the community was not able to make an informed decision on whether the rebrand was good value. ‘‘It’s the hidden expenses that annoys the business and residential community alike . . . If there’s a really good business case for the $100k then you go, ‘It’s OK’.’’

Porirua Mayor Mike Tana said the rebrand was an operational decision that was made before his term. But he said the Taxpayers’ Union claims were misleading – the logo made up $875 of the rebrand budget.

He said the decision to rebrand had helped move the city away from its tag as P-town, pulled together disjointed Porirua branding, and created a functional website.