A new Horowhenua brand campaign has been launched.
A new Horowhenua brand campaign has been launched.
Horowhenua has a new brand campaign aiming to showcase the region as both a tourist destination and a place to live.
Launched last week alongside new website Horowhenuanz.co.nz, it also features two buzz phrases.
One slogan is pitched at visitors, Come find yourself : Huraina tō mata, while another is targeted at those already living in Horowhenua: Ko tēnei whenua, tōku kāinga – This land, my home.
According to a press release from Horowhenua District Council, the branding was a collaborative project that "has been many months in the making".
Local businesses, community and interest groups, iwi/hapū, rangatahi, elected members and tourist operators were invited to participate in a brand workshop.
"From there the team learnt about what makes Horowhenua so unique," the press release said.
"It was evident that our uniqueness comes from the whenua and its relationship to its people."
Chief executives of Muaūpoko Tribal Authority, Rangitāne and Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga were interviewed as part of the brand workshopping.
"Muaūpoko Tribal Authority chief executive Di Rump, also a member of the steering group, said "Horowhenua is rich in culture, history and opportunity.
"It has been exciting to work in partnership with council to deliver a project that acknowledges our shared aspirations of sustainability, inclusivity and growth," said Rump.
The press release continued: "It is not a coincidence that Horowhenua has the shortest distance in Aotearoa from the Maunga to the Moana and that this unique microcosm has provided for its people and inevitably enabled them to thrive and prosper, whether that be tangata whenua, early settlers, market gardeners or the many producers and businesses that call Horowhenua their home today.
"The development of the Horowhenua brand and the opportunities that would follow was initially identified as a priority after Horowhenua visitor expenditure growth per capita outstripped New Zealand between 2016 and 2019.
"This largely organic growth led to a review of Horowhenua as a destination and subsequently the Horowhenua Destination, Development and Management Plan 2020-2030 was commissioned.
A new Horowhenua brand campaign has been launched.
"It was a natural fit that the Horowhenua district brand reflecting the enduring and enriching natural elements of the whenua. The aim of the design was to visually represent the Horo aspect of our rohe name – the majestic Tararua Range, and the many puna, wetlands and varying types of wai – be that lakes, rivers, streams or ocean.
"That it speaks to our rohe having significant linking places in Taitoko, Te Awahou, Manakau, Waikawa, Shannon, Tokomaru and Ōpiki and that the design is closer to the shape of a coastline rather than just a river or stream, reflecting Horowhenua and its place – on the West Coast of the Lower North Island."
Mayor Bernie Wanden was part of the steering group, and said: "As a Horowhenua local, I've always known that we live in a very special part of the world.
"The thought and engagement that has gone into this piece of work and the resulting outcomes, are something we can all be proud of."
The website features places to visit, things to do, major events, with links to accommodation options.
"Boasting the shortest distance in Aotearoa from mountains to sea and host to the only perpendicular dune system in the world, Horowhenua has long been valued for its unique and fertile whenua," the website says.
"Horowhenua's unique microcosm has given birth to a wealth of food producers, with Horowhenua often referred to as the North Island's vegetable bowl.
"Home to Muaūpoko, Ngāti Raukawa Ki te Tonga and Rangitāne, Horowhenua has a rich cultural heritage. From stories of the fabled Waitaha people at seven feet tall, Patupaiarehe or fairy people thought to have inhabited the Makahika Valley, to sophisticated tree forts and warriors said to possess the ability to walk on water – the Horowhenua holds many taonga close to its heart."
The brand campaign runs until the end of November.
