Politics

Heart of the Mainland? Ashburton seeks new slogan

17:24 pm on 4 May 2021

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The Whatever it Takes slogan for Ashburton appears to have done its dash.

Ashburton District councillors have unanimously voted to ditch the tired tagline, which is loathed by some and mocked by others.

"I think the people of Ashburton have just got over it," Mayor Neil Brown told Checkpoint.

"We've had it for probably 10-to-12 years, it was our economic development arm that used it, Whatever it Takes. We've probably got there now so it's time for a new one… The people who invented it are probably no longer here anymore.

"We're ready for a refresh now I think. The councillors, nine of them, they've all agreed that it's time to move on and let's get a new logo."

The area had plenty of strengths to draw on.

"We're an agricultural-based district here, so we have everything from dairy, sheep, wool, vegetables. In the vegetable line we grow peas, corn, broccoli, carrots, potatoes, onions, you name it, we just about grow it. And even better from that, if we don't grow it we'll grow the seeds here to grow it.

"We also have wheat and barley, the old staple varieties. So the bread and the beer that people drink and eat – that comes from the grains that we grow here as well. We also have deer – venison."

A slogan Brown's been thinking of that might encapsulate that agricultural identity was The Heart of the Mainland.  

"I think what we might do is put it out to the people of Ashburton and even further afield to come up with our slogan and make it into a bit of a competition."

One suggestion on social media was: 'Ashburton, for a pie and a pee'.

"You can certainly do both here," Brown told Checkpoint. "We have certainly some good pies and we have some good toilets. Lots of toilets get rated quite highly – clean and presentable.

"Because the tourists come through and if you want to head south, you've got to come through the Ashburton district, and we have toilets here that can accommodate them, and also cafes where they can buy their pie."

Deciding on the slogan will take about six months.

"Good things take time."