Porirua
March 29th, 2012 at 1:00 pm by David FarrarStuff reports:
Perceptions of Porirua are standing in the way of attracting new residents, the city council’s marketing guru says.
Communications and marketing manager Barbara Bercic is behind a revised marketing strategy to be considered by Porirua City Council next week, aiming to increase its population by 9600 people by 2031 through promoting the city as great value for money.
A minor quibble but she is a marketing manager, not a guru. Would we refer to the Council’s CGO as the council’s “numbers guru”?
She acknowledged that people outside the city associated it with the “rundown” eastern suburbs and CBD. “Their perceptions of those areas are that they are depressed, dirty and unsafe.”
But some of those perceptions are shared by the people who live there, according to a 2010 survey that showed a little over half of residents felt a sense of pride in the way their city looked and felt.
I agree when out of towners say something it is a perception. However if the actual people living there say it, well maybe is it more than a perception?
“While satisfaction with individual villages and lifestyles is high, pride in the name `Porirua’ is low and largely associated with the state housing areas and the CBD,” it said. “This view is most pronounced among people in the northern suburbs, younger age groups and households with an annual income of $100,000 or above.”
Mayor Nick Leggett said such perceptions were far from reality and the “city of villages” was a great place to live.
“I think that some people have an outdated view of the city … but we do suffer at times from poor perception.”
The country’s youngest mayor said he “totally owned” the nickname “P-Town” for the city, and used it daily.
“Some people think P-Town is like pure methamphetamine, whereas obviously those who are younger have different connotations.”
Victoria University senior marketing lecturer David Stewart disagreed, saying the use of P-Town reinforced the city’s stereotype.
“The problem with P-Town is that it has an association with drugs and low life, doesn’t it?”
Dr Stewart said he liked the idea of getting people to experience the city’s attractions rather than trying to hook them with a catchy slogan.
Mr Leggett said the Porirua district – which includes well-heeled suburbs such as Whitby, Aotea, Camborne and Pauatahanui – had the fourth-highest income per capita in New Zealand, had been judged one of the world’s most liveable communities, and had the lowest crime rate in the Wellington region.
It is correct that the name Porirua has negative connotations. It is also correct that the city as a whole is very nice place to live and work. Yes there are some suburbs that feature high in negative statistics, but they are a minority.
I have to say that I think P-Town isn’t a great alternative, as it does reinforce a perception of crime and frug use.
The name I have always liked since the mid 1990s (when I worked for the advertising agency for Porirua City Council) was Mana City. Mana is well known as a name for the wider area, while people do associate Porirua more with the problematic areas.
I bet you less than 1% of people in Whitby list their address as “Whitby, Porirua City”. However a fair few would not have a problem being “Whitby, Mana City”.
March 29th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
I would go further, and re-name “Paraparaumu” Kapiti while keeping Paraparaumu Beach. Lived there for 16 years.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
P-Town sounds too much like Bro-Town.
Could you call it North Wellington?
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:25 pm
LOL @ “Mana City”. People call it P-Town, just like a lot of people call Wellington “Wellies” and Petone is colloquially known as “Pet-1″.
Hamilton is colloquially known as “H-Town” and “Hams”. I remember when there was talk of renaming Hamilton as “Waikato City”, and that idea was thorougly slammed.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:39 pm
“The country’s youngest mayor said he “totally owned” the nickname “P-Town” for the city, and used it daily.
“Some people think P-Town is like pure methamphetamine, whereas obviously those who are younger have different connotations.” ”
WTF?? what a freakin moron. HE can try and “WON” that name as much as he likes but P town means a drug town to 80% of people out there.
Actually, the fact that the mayor would use that would make me not want to go there. it makes it sound like some small down shit hole.
I wouldnt be impressed if the mayor or the north shore suddenly started calling milford “m town”.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
I have lived for 13 years in a suburb of Porirua and have never heard of the term P-town.
However there does need to be something done about the slow deterioration of the central city area. I pay over $3,000pa in rates there and expect more.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:49 pm
The business I work at in Porirua has been smash-and-grab burgled overnight twice in 10 days despite the security system and lighting… None of us are suprised and all my colleagues from around Wellington and the lower north island all just say “Ah well, that’s Porirua for you”.
EDIT: By the way, of the other 13 stores in the lower NI some have been vandalised but none brazenly ripped off like we have been
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
***Hamilton is colloquially known as “H-Town” and “Hams”. ***
I thought it was known as Hamiltron or the Tron?
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Apparently Porirua actually has a higher average income than Wellington.
The problem is that income is less evenly distributed. The poorest part of Wellington proper is probably Newtown, and while Newtown has its rough edges it is a way, way nicer place to live than any of Porirua’s Eastern Suburbs.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 2:12 pm
Some people call it the Tron. Usually outsiders.
Perhaps local colloquialisms and phrases just take a long time to appear in the mainstream.
Much like ‘Nek Minnit’. A saying that has been around for at least a decade.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 2:22 pm
Bob R>Could you call it North Wellington?
I’d prefer to rename Johnsonville as Porirua South. And Lower Hutt as Wainuiomata West, in honour of Trevor Mallard.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 2:25 pm
lots of places have names the locals use, how many small crapholes up north have ‘vegas’ at the end of their name now.
i always like:
“yeah man, i survived for years in Nam, blen-nam”
having actually survived a decade in blenheim, it does remind me of a jungle warzone
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 2:56 pm
“Could you call it North Wellington?”
I think they’d prefer a name which makes them feel different from Wellington proper.
“i always like:
“yeah man, i survived for years in Nam, blen-nam””
I always heard that about Syden-nam in ChCh
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 4:21 pm
A marketing guru she ain’t.
If she’s defending and explaining, she’s losing the argument.
This is the woman who thought that everyone would go WOW when she had a billboard erected showing off a local rugby team, when everyone outside of Porirua had absolutely no idea who they were.
This is the woman who erected a billboard with four people singing, with their hands reaching out, which was an open invitation for someone to slap a KFC bucket in each of their hands on the billboard.
She’s god-awful hopeless, no-one likes her, and she gets all tizzy when she doesn’t get her own way.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
How about going with the mall’s name and call the whole place North City? That’s nicely monocultural, very safe, boring…
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
Another good example of the need for local government reform.
Communications and marketing? wtf?
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 6:03 pm
Kowtow is right on the button. FFS, someone make these bastards look after the streets, footpaths, water supply, sewerage system and rubbish collection – the areas that a council *should* be involved in.
I don’t think Porirua will *ever* be “cool”, in the same way that Wainuiomata will never be cool. Some suburbs just have so much “baggage” that their reputations will stay with them for ever.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 6:05 pm
Btw – Porirua will **easily** get that population increase that they are after.
Vote:I’m sure that the DPB mums will take care if that. More babies equals more dollars (stolen from working taxpayers).
March 29th, 2012 at 6:26 pm
I love living in Porirua. And contrary to what DF says, I also own it as a Whitbyan.
Nick L is a twit. We shouldnt be wasting $ on promoting it as a cheap place to live. That’s just helping developers to sell their residential developments. They dont need the help becuase people will come here for the quality of life, the beaches, the amenities, the good roads, walking tracks, shopping, etc. The weather is often nicer than Wellington too.
Pity about the rates, but I reckon the Council uses its rating powers to shift costs from poorer areas to wealthier areas.
When someone once said to me that they come from P town, I thought they were from Palmerston North……
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
I was born in Porirua, went to school in Porirua, and bought my first home in Porirua (in the East as well, although it was Ranui Heights not Cannons Creek/Waitangirua). But now I am out of there I realise that the place is a dump – those that are there don’t realise how bad it is. Unless things have changed drastically, Whitby has no decent public transport and the beach suburbs are just getting more and more squeezed by SH1.
The shopping centre is just like some run down sunshine coast town, just with really bad weather. There is nothing nice I can think of when I think of Porirua, except how glad I am I got out.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 7:21 pm
**That’s nicely monocultural, very safe, boring…***
The middle class people they are seeking to gentrify the place and make it more attractive are after safe. They don’t want “edgy”.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
That’s quite right Bob R. Check out the street names in any new subdivision – always middle-of-the-road boring stuff like “Greenview Drive” or “Cedar Place” or some such dross.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 9:54 pm
““While satisfaction with individual villages and lifestyles is high,”
Since when did villag mean suburb? This redefinist disease is rife in Auckland – a shame if it is spreading.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 10:02 pm
I good friend of mine lived in Whitby. Never, to the best of my knowledge had so much as an overdue library book. But seemed to know an alarming amount about the defacement of a “Weclome to Porirua” sign note far from their home.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 11:49 pm
Speaking as one who got married in the middle of the Pauatahanui Inlet and lived overlooking it for ten years, I found Porirua City a nice place to live.
But yes, it does need a new name. What though?
Mana City is a little better (same as the electorate, the island and the distinctly mediocre college) and North City more go-ahead, but a rather odd name for a city in the middle of the country.
North Wellington would work once we get a supercity. When I played junior rep tennis in the 70s, the association that is now Kapi-Mana (including Porirua) used to be called North Wellington.
I think it’s the best alternative.
Vote:March 29th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Aotea City (after the lagoon, the new suburb and the college) could also work.
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 12:00 am
And P-town is just the stupidest name ever. It says ‘small town full of drugs’ – how does that work with the new strategy?
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 12:32 am
I think “P-town” is a more recent term – I’ve only heard younger people use it and not in connection with Meth.
I remember “The Rua” as a common term but I can’t say that it’s any better. Likewise”The Bay” for Titahi where you’ll see more Mercs and Beemers these days.
If Newlands is heading for gentrification then anything’s possible.
One thing I can confirm is that when a Southerly is whacking W-town, The Rua (and Upper Hood) are at least two degrees warmer and often pretty sunny.
Still miles better than Karori which is a godforsaken hole. Nuke it from orbit, it’s the only way
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 6:04 am
It seems that some of you are indeed on the ‘P’.
Porirua, Mana, North Wellington….call it what ever you like, it will not change a thing.
That part of the world is a shit hole and will always remain that way.
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 6:23 am
I have never meet anyone from Whitby or Papakowhai who say they live in Porirua. They all say Wellington.
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 7:51 am
What is it about renaming places?
Aucklanders know about the following entities – the Aotea Centre and Aotea Square, the Civic Theatre, and the Auckland Town Hall. All classy (or classic) names.
Then someone – probably a marketing “guru” – decided these names were no longer good enough, and came up with the moniker “The Edge”. Yeah, great idea, because:
(a) The Edge has never been used before …
(b) The Edge is a great way to refer to buildings right in the heart of the CBD
(c) The Edge maybe can also be used to refer to the “cutting edge” ultra-modern in-your-face Town Hall … oh wait, we all love that because of its history and character. OK, the ultra-modern on-the-edge Civic Theatre … actually, hold that thought …
I loathe the stupid term “The Edge” and will never refer to any of these places by that name. Stupid stupid stupid.
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 8:08 am
P-Town definitely used as a term of denigration in the rest of Wellington. Same goes for ‘Rua’ (as in a pile of “number 2″).
Vote:Why not _actually_ change the place rather than just try to call it another name and convince everyone its something new.
March 30th, 2012 at 8:12 am
What Big Bruv says, in spades…..to call the graffiti covered dump a shit hole is to flatter it.
Don’t waste a nuke on it….just flush it.
Vote:March 30th, 2012 at 8:57 am
Funny place “Greater” Porirua, four weeks ago was driving through Cannons Creek on the way to Maraeroa marae….reminded me of Tokoroa, what a shit hole.
Have a niece & her husband nearby Cullen Park, Tawa. Lovely place.
Vote: