BMX champ Tyrell Taylor (left), McGregor Manu (centre) and Tokoroa sports advocate Sami Kaitai in front of McGregor's sign for the Breakfast TV story.
BMX champ Tyrell Taylor (left), McGregor Manu (centre) and Tokoroa sports advocate Sami Kaitai in front of McGregor's sign for the Breakfast TV story.
At just five years old, MacGregor Manu is the new face of his hometown of Tokoroa, with his photo featured on a huge new welcome sign wearing a Pacific island headdress and holding a traditional drum.
It is one of a series of 16 new welcome signs spread across Tokoroa, Putāruru, Tīrau, and Arapuni, as South Waikato rebrands its main centres with a focus on each town’s unique identity as it works to attract more visitors and businesses to the district.
The signs all feature local people - a total of 24 personalities or identities in their own community - united in the theme that locals love living in the district.
South Waikato District Council’s head of economic development Paul Bowden says the sign refresh is part of a strategy to put the district on the map and highlight how friendly and welcoming the community is to visitors, businesses, and potential new residents.
Apart from the signs on the town entries, there will be welcome signs from local iwi Raukawa alongside each district entry sign.
The first of the town signs went up this week which means people entering or leaving Tokoroa from Maraetai Road, near Lake Moanaui, will from now on be greeted by young McGregor.
The signs have already gained national attention as they were featured on Breakfast TV on Tuesday morning after the Waikato Herald earlier reported on the re-branding project being under way.
“It is all about people and community,” Bowden says.
The council’s digital marketing coordinator Michaela Coffin says because the four towns were “very diverse”, the council was looking for a single unifying idea that “truly reflected” the district and the towns.
The sign of local boy McGregor Manu was the first one to go up this week.
The council asked the 25,000 people who call the district home what they thought, and quickly had an answer.
“The unifying idea is that people all love their towns and communities even though they are so different. Featuring local people on the signs makes the signs authentic,” Coffin says.
The council put out an open call for residents to be the face of their town in September and ended up with a shortlist of people who have been nominated by friends or whānau.
MacGregor was nominated alongside 23 other local faces including national BMX champion Tyrell Taylor, associate charge nurse Sami Kaitai and former Putāruru College deputy principal Dave Shaw.
Former Putaruru College deputy principal Dave Shaw is proud to feature on the signage of his adopted home.
Kaitai helps run a gym and athletics club in Tokoroa and says she is fully behind the idea of featuring local people on the signs.
“When you see a person on the signs who is active in the community it gives you someone to relate to.”
Shaw, who emigrated to New Zealand from the UK, says he is proud to feature on the signage of his adopted home, together with his mate Shep the dog.
“[I] settled in Putāruru because [I] loved the hearty, community-minded people, the beautiful scenery and the opportunity for outdoor activities including tramping, rafting, and hunting.”
Bowden says council research from 2019 had shown that many people outside the district could not place South Waikato on a map.
“Some have negative perceptions of our towns - but the locals love living here, and we needed that to shine through.”
The other new signs will go up in the next couple of weeks.
The rebranding exercise developed catchphrases and colours to represent each town. For Tīrau, the slogan Refresh in Tīrau was chosen. Putāruru’s slogan is Families thrive, futures grow. Tokoroa’s slogan is the Māori welcome Nau mai, haere mai and for Arapuni, the slogan Take it slow, enjoy our village was chosen.
“The colours for each town’s signs were chosen to represent something special. The pink for Arapuni represents the gorgeous sunsets they get. The blue for Putāruru represents the Blue Spring [Te Puna]. The red ochre for Tokoroa is significant to the local iwi, Raukawa. The green for Tīrau represents its strong farming roots.
The district has much to offer to visitors, highlights include the Blue Spring Te Waihou walkway, the Waikato River Trails, the Arapuni dam and kayaking tours.
The push for visitors comes hot on the heels of a council visit to Wellington to seek investors, and a wave of businesses, including the OFI dairy factory and Better Eggs’ free-range forest farm setting up in the district.
The signs are part of a wider strategy to put the district and its four main towns on the map of visitors.
The rebranding project has been in the making since last year when the council decided to cut its annual investment of $60,000 to Hamilton and Waikato Tourism to do its own promotion of the district. The South Waikato District Council allocated a total of $457,000 to the rebranding project.
South Waikato District Council Mayor Gary Petley says the signs were about presenting a fresh new image for South Waikato.
“[One] that is positive, forward-looking and welcoming and is aligned with all the exciting growth happening in the district. The new signage will build pride in the district among locals so they can advocate for it, and welcome new investors, residents and visitors.”
Raukawa Tumu Whakarae general manager and Tokoroa Ward councillor Maria Te Kanawa says from an iwi perspective it was important the South Waikato “warmly” welcomes everyone into Te Rohe o Raukawa.
“It’s been our homeland for over 300 years so whether you are a visitor, migrant, immigrant, local or tangata whenua, everyone is welcome, nau piki mai, nau kake mai. It’s a special place and I’m proud to call it my home.”
A concept drawing of what the new district entry signs of the council and Ngati Raukawa are going to look like.
