There was a student hui last week to discuss the Uni’s proposed new logo and te reo Māori name. Initial reactions seemed largely supportive from current students, but with some concern over the price tag. Older members of the general public, mostly posting online, seemed to suggest that this was the end of the world.
The proposed new logo represents Dunedin’s harbour, with a waka placed at the top. The proposed Māori slogan, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka, aims to celebrate many firsts: the first arrival of Māori, the first colonial settlers from the UK, and the first university in Aotearoa. It left out the first couch burnings, the first steps of the modern breatha, and the first Castle Street riot, for some reason. Not sure why they didn’t go with those options.
On Tuesday, March 21st, Otago University hosted a student hui in collaboration with OUSA. This venue was free from the comments sections that have plagued online discussion, notably on the ODT’s online poll which gauged public opinion on the changes. But take their results with a grain of salt because we quickly realised that you could vote unlimited times on that poll as long as you kept refreshing the page in incognito mode.
During the hui, the University explained that the rebrand reflects its Vision 2040 long-term plan, which includes being a Te Tiriti-led organisation that works in partnership with mana whenua.
According to the University, its current logo, a colonial crest, fails to acknowledge the breadth of the region’s Tuakiritaka (its identity). The proposed changes aim to enable students past and present to understand and feel connected to Otago’s Māori heritage as well as its Scottish colonial roots, and it’s been in preparation for four years by a steering group of stakeholders including representatives of mana whenua. Despite this explanation, online reactions insisted that the new logo is an “erasure” of Scottish heritage and University identity, because the crest logo is just so distinctive and unique. No way you could ever confuse it with another antipodal university, right?
Research by Critic Te Ārohi showed that, of all universities ranked higher than Otago via QS, just over half of their logos feature crests. Of the remaining logos, nearly all only use their name in English. Fewer than 1 in 20 (under 4%) of logos feature an image that is not a crest, with only two universities (Tokyo and Tohoku Universities in Japan) featuring an image representative of physical place.
Director of marketing Hone Paul said, “One of the intentions is to have an identity that reflects our people and place in the world, and one that stands for excellence, inclusiveness and shared success.” Hone said that the University of Otago was currently undertaking future-focused research, interviewing potential students to find out if the proposed logo change would appeal to them. Initial results were encouraging, he said.
The sticking point was the price tag. The rebrand planning stage, not implementation, has cost $670,000 so far, and the Uni was not able to tell us what future costs would look like. The costs so far have come from research, brand development, design, legal costs, and production. Nearly a fifth of this cost was student consultation. This funding has come out of “usual marketing budgets,” said Paul. To counter the cost, other savings have been made in marketing, Paul told us, with the University holding back from advertising rebrands, and costs will be saved as they roll out a new logo incrementally. For example, vehicles will only be rebranded when they’re replaced.
Still, the sum was a lot for some students to swallow. “I like the new logo, but I don’t know if I’d pay $700,000 for it,” said one student. “I’d rather have that money spent on student services,” said another, “like, they’re just out here making staff redundant but spending heaps on a new logo…it doesn’t make sense to me.” A third student, Emily, said, “If they’re trying to attract more people from overseas or even from, like, Auckland, surely a better way to do that would be to demonstrate that they support their departments? I dunno, I feel like a new logo is a lot of talk. I like it though!”
One older alumnus speaking at the hui expressed support for the design change, saying it “should have happened years ago”, but added that the waka image should be made “more like a waka, and less like a cap.”
Students can currently give feedback via a survey until April 16. They are being asked if the proposed change aligns with where the University is heading, and whether now is the time to do it. Information and surveys have been sent to every student via their University email address. Students who did not receive a survey are encouraged to email tuakiritaka@otago.ac.nz. OUSA is also planning on hosting another feedback forum, this time specifically for Māori students, on April 5th at 6pm in the Union Building main common room.
A summary of the results of the consultation will be made available once the University Council decides on next steps. It is meeting in the second week of May. Paul said the length of time for the student consultation would only be extended if there was significant negative feedback.
The full proposals are available at www.otago.ac.nz/tuakiritaka.