Punters love City of Sails

A snap survey of Auckland businesspeople shows overwhelming support for retaining the name "City of Sails".

The survey follows the claim by Chamber of Commerce chief executive Michael Barnett that the slogan - which is about 25 years old - "no longer reflects the region or its people" and should be dumped.

Instead, he said, the region needed "a consistent and compelling regional brand identity that can be used for tourism bodies, local and regional councils, economic development agencies, business and education institutes".

But the poll of almost 400 people, carried out by the Newmarket Business Association, showed there was more than 90 per cent support for City of Sails.

The association's general manager, Cameron Brewer, said businesses had a vested interest in how Auckland was presented and the poll "clearly shows there is absolutely no mandate for change".

Statistics bolster Auckland's claim to the City of Sails moniker - the region has more than 40 per cent of the nation's sailors.

The 2001 Census showed that 60,500 of the country's 149,900 sailors live in the Auckland region, which includes North Harbour and Waitakere.

Jodie Perkins, of Yachting New Zealand, said the true number would be even higher because not everyone who sailed belonged to a club and there was no legal requirement to register sailing craft.

The Weekend Herald jury also showed there was little enthusiasm for a name change.

Mr Brewer said no business in the private sector would change its brand if it had more than 90 per cent customer support.

"In business, they would turn it into a positive and probably invest in promoting the slogan even more."


Sail on

Should Auckland keep its "City of Sails" slogan?
* Yes: 92.4 per cent
* No: 7.6 per cent
(Survey of 400 Newmarket businesspeople)