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The controversy over Auckland City's new logo has taken a new twist, with former mayor Dick Hubbard saying it required political sign-off.
Mr Hubbard said he was shown several designs for a new logo by chief executive David Rankin and officers at an informal meeting about six weeks before last month's local body elections.
"It was my very clear understanding that we were just being given an advanced showing of the logo and an explanation to the reasoning behind the exercise.
"We certainly weren't in decision-making mode or approval mode and we didn't have that delegated authority.
"My understanding was at some stage it would have to get the appropriate political sign-off, but it was felt it was appropriate to do that after the election," Mr Hubbard said.
The new wavy blue logo was devised by Mr Rankin and his executive team last year and presented as a fait accompli to the new council last month.
It was never put to a council committee.
Mr Rankin said yesterday that if there was an understanding at the meeting to get political sign-off "that is what I would have done".
"There were four officers at the meeting and if we got that understanding or agreement or whatever we wouldn't have done something different.
"Obviously Dick wouldn't be fibbing to you and that must be what he recalls but we [officers] wouldn't have gone from that meeting and done something different.
"We took the view from that briefing that it was okay to proceed," Mr Rankin said.
The logo briefing was part of an informal weekly Wednesday meeting between Mr Hubbard, Mr Rankin and a handful of senior councillors and officers.
Deputy mayor Dr Bruce Hucker, finance chairman Vern Walsh and Citizens & Ratepayers leader Scott Milne attended the meeting.
The four officers are no longer on the council. Dr Hucker refused to comment.
But Mr Milne and Mr Walsh could not recall discussions about sending the logo to a council committee.
"I certainly don't recall us talking about that, but I guess in my own mind I probably felt at some point it would," Mr Milne said.
The briefing satisfied him that change was necessary, the costs were reasonable, the plan was sensible and he expected Mr Rankin to implement it.
Mr Walsh remembered a brief discussion about the logo but said he never saw the new one.
Meanwhile, Mr Rankin has taken issue with a senior council officer who told the Herald the logo was part of a $1 million rebranding exercise, including about $300,000 for rebranding and signage of the council's parking business, Parkright.
The Parkright exercise was undertaken by the parking board in early 2005 before he became chief executive in July that year "and has got nothing to do with this logo or what is described as rebranding".
