4.Recommendation paper.pdf

Date:
Wednesday 3 May 2023
To:

Chancellor, Members of Council
From:
Deputy Vice Chancellor (External Engagement) and Director of Marketing
Kaupapa:
Tuakiritaka Project
Sensitivity:
Commercial in Confidence

Tuakiritaka

The Tuakiritaka project aims to refresh the University of Otago brand, including a new visual identity and
Māori name that aligns with the University’s current and future aspirations, is iconic and practical, and reflects
our shared whakapapa.

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overall picture of the response to the Tuakiritaka proposals by the
University of Otago community.

Recommendations on the approach forward for the Tuakiritaka project are included in this paper, including
options to be considered.   The recommendations are informed by an analysis of the results of the stakeholder
consultation undertaken with alumni, staff and students, as well as market research with prospective students.

Table of Contents

1
Executive summary .......................................................................................................................... 2
2
Summary of High Level Implementation Options ........................................................................... 4
3
Implementation: Refined estimates for replacing brand visual identity ........................................ 5
3.1
Budget estimates: Replacement costs.................................................................................... 5
3.2
Notes to the implementation options ..................................................................................... 5
4
Alumni considerations ..................................................................................................................... 6
4.1
Engagement with Alumni ........................................................................................................ 6
4.2
Concerns and feedback............................................................................................................ 6
4.3
Potential impact ....................................................................................................................... 6
4.4
Future planning ........................................................................................................................ 7
5
Trade marks ..................................................................................................................................... 8
6
Stakeholder Engagement................................................................................................................. 9
6.1
Staff Engagement..................................................................................................................... 9
6.2
Student Engagement ............................................................................................................... 9
6.3
Iwi Engagement and Feedback ................................................................................................ 9
7
Media and Social Media analysis ................................................................................................... 10
8
Stakeholder Consultation .............................................................................................................. 11
8.1
Survey Feedback .................................................................................................................... 11
8.2
Market Research: Future students and influencers .............................................................. 11
9
Risk summary ................................................................................................................................. 13
10
Summary of key concerns by theme ......................................................................................... 13
11
Risk assessment chart: project implementation ....................................................................... 13
12
Key concerns by theme – stakeholder feedback ....................................................................... 15
13
Draft guidelines for the use of the new visual identity ............................................................. 23

1

1
Executive summary

The University of Otago has undertaken its most extensive consultation exercise in recent memory to seek the
University community’s feedback on the Tuakiritaka proposals. Launched in December 2022, and culminating
in a five week consultation period during March and April this year, alumni, staff and students have had an
opportunity to provide their thoughts on proposals to change the University’s visual identity.

As a result of this consultation, there can be a high degree of confidence that a broad cross-section of our
community agree that the Tuakiritaka proposals align with Vision 2040, and reflect the future of the University.

This is evidenced by the completed survey results of 9,007 respondents, in which 70% of students, 71% of
alumni and 77% of staff agree that the proposed English version of the wordmark reflects our future, while
51% of alumni, 64% of students, and 71% of staff agree with the alignment of the te Reo Māori version.

There were 18,212 comments provided through the survey, which gave a strong sense of the passionate
response to the proposals, including support for the new te reo Māori name, and for the direction and intent
of the project. Concerns also exist about the proposals, including a perceived loss of heritage and international
recognition because of the proposal to replace the Coat of Arms in our branding, and the proposals coming at
a time of financial uncertainty at the University.
The proposals were well received by prospective students and their influencers, with market research
indicating that Tuakiritaka is an opportunity to position the University as a modern and inclusive leader among
its peers in the university sector.

National media coverage of Tuakiritaka was moderately positive.  Negative coverage, mostly published by the
Otago Daily Times, made up 36% of the total volume in traditional media, but those stories reached just 18% of
the total estimated audience.

In deciding how to implement the proposals, strong consideration should be given to timing, ensuring this is
managed in a financially prudent manner. Consideration should also be given to ensuring that the design is
accessible, and that the use of the new identity in international markets supports ongoing recognition of the
University.  Strategies should also be developed to increase understanding about the relevance and story of
the tohu and Māori name as part of any potential implementation of the proposals.

Initial work has been completed on estimates to understand the scope of the financial investment required to
implement the changes. Based on these estimates, an investment of $1.53m would be needed to undertake a
rollout of changes to the brand in our signage and vehicles, digital channels, marketing and communication
collateral. A full implementation plan should be developed once guidance from Council is provided on a
preferred option forward for the project. Recommendations are included in this paper for Council to consider,
including a preferred option for the project, with a delayed implementation until 2024.

Direction and approval sought

It is recommended that:

Council notes that:

2

• The quantitative research undertaken with alumni, staff and students indicates broad agreement
that the proposed new visual identity, including a new tohu and a new te Reo Māori name, aligns
with the future direction of the University;
• That qualitative market research undertaken with future students and influencers indicates a
positive response and a level of support around the proposals;

3

4
Alumni considerations

4.1
Engagement with Alumni

The Development and Alumni Relations Group (DARO) has been heavily involved in the Tuakiritaka project and
consultation over the past six months.  DARO is aware that while the project is an important expression of the
University’s strategic priorities as set out in Vision 2040, it would pose challenges for some members of the
alumni community.

Together with the Director of Marketing and the DVC, External Engagement, the Director of DARO was
involved in a sequence of briefings with alumni leaders and key friends of the University, both in New Zealand
and overseas. The feedback from those briefings was used to refine the approach to the Tuakiritaka proposal,
and was shared with Council in February.

Since the launch of Vision 2040 in February and the commencement of consultation on Tuakiritaka in March,
there has been a steady stream of emails and phone calls from alumni voicing their concern at the future
direction of the University; the proposed changes to the name and brand of the University, and the cost
involved. All emails received by DARO have been forwarded to the Tuakiritaka project team to record and
respond to if required. When consultation closed, 5859 alumni had responded to the survey, of these 2316
were aged 55+ years.

Of the 5859 alumni that completed the survey, 2141 strongly agreed that the English version of the proposed
new brand reflects the future direction of the university and 1402 strongly agreed with the Te Reo version.
Another 1356 agreed that the English version reflects the future direction of the University and 943 agreed
with the Te Reo version. In total 3506 of the 5859 alumni who completed the survey were in agreement that
the proposed English version reflects the future direction of the University and 2345 agreed on the Te Reo
version.

4.2
Concerns and feedback

The alumni that have expressed their concern and anger have been predominately older alumni, with a
heavier concentration of older male Pākehā alumni strongly voicing their views by contacting staff at the
University to express their concerns. These have often focused on what they see as ‘woke’ elements in Vision
2040, and discomfort with the direction of the Tuakiritaka proposal, including the prominence of te Reo Māori.

6

6
Stakeholder Engagement

6.1
Staff Engagement

In the lead up to the launch of consultation, several staff meetings and briefings were held to provide staff the
opportunity to understand the proposals. These included pre-briefings with all Tier 3 managers of the
University, as well as Māori professional and academic staff, Pacific staff, College Wardens, External
Engagement staff, Ask Otago managers and Organisers from the Tertiary Education Union.
Consultation with all staff was officially launched at a forum on 15 March, with 360 staff attending in person
and over 1100 staff on Zoom. Several follow-up briefings were held, including a forum in Dunedin and on
Zoom, and a Zoom forum for Wellington staff.

6.2
Student Engagement

Students were also provided with opportunities to meet in person to understand the proposals. Pre-briefings
and discussions were held with student leaders in the months leading up to the launch of consultation, with
feedback helping to inform the approach for engagement with students.
Following the launch of consultation, the Acting Vice-Chancellor and Director of Marketing co-hosted a student
forum with the OUSA President on March 22. A forum was also held with representatives of 11 Pacific student
associations, as well as a meeting co-hosted with the President of Te Rōpū Māori for Māori students.

6.3
Iwi Engagement and Feedback

In addition to the partnership with Te Rūnaka o Ōtākou and Kāti Huirapa ki Puketeraki which has been central
to the project, the University has important ties with iwi in the northern campuses, based on long-term
relationships and collaborative engagement and activity. In line with these important relationships, briefings
about the Tuakiritaka proposals were undertaken with Ngāi Tūāhuriri in Christchurch, and Ngāti Toa Rangatira
in Wellington.

9

8
Stakeholder Consultation

8.1
Survey Feedback

The University undertook a five-week period of consultation with key stakeholders to seek their feedback on
the Tuakiritaka proposals, primarily through an in-depth survey which received 9,007 completed survey
responses from alumni, staff and students.

There can be a high degree of confidence that a broad cross-section of alumni, staff and students agree that
the proposals align with Vision 2040 and reflect the future of the University. There is also acceptance that the
proposed design and Māori name reflect the whakapapa of the organisation, are iconic and practical.

•  64% of all respondents agree that the proposed visual identities reflect the future direction of the
University.
•  This includes 70% of current students, 71% of alumni and 77% of staff agreeing with the alignment of
the English version, and 51% of alumni, 64% of current students, and 71% of staff agreeing with the
alignment of the te Reo Māori version.   
•  60% of respondents believe that the designs were practical, while just over half of respondents agree
that the designs were both iconic and reflected our whakapapa (54% and 52% respectively).
•  51% of respondents felt that now is the right time to make the changes, with 36% disagreeing.   
•  While 35% of respondents do not feel that the proposed changes to the visual identity would impact
them personally, 54% of people indicated some level of impact.   
•  In terms of the consultation process, 75% of respondents agree to some extent that they had a fair
opportunity to express their opinions.   

A total of 18,212 survey comments were received and categorised into themes, with both supportive and
unsupportive feedback. Often a respondent will only comment if they feel particularly passionate about the
subject, which means that comments are more polarising than quantitative information would suggest. A
cross-section of opinions has been included verbatim in the stakeholder consultation report. Among the most
common positive feedback was support for the suggested te Reo Māori name and an endorsement of the
direction and intent of the changes.

Despite this, there was some level of misunderstanding about whether the “University of Otago” will remain as
the official name. There were also some apprehensions expressed by some respondents about the design of
the tohu and font. Among the most common areas of concern was the potential for the loss of status for the
University, a reduction in the individual’s sense of connection to the institution because of replacing the coat
of arms, and the applicability of the proposal internationally. There was also a high degree of concern about
the costs of the proposal.

A full and extensive stakeholder consultation report, including survey results, statistics and data analysis is
provided in the appendix.

8.2
Market Research: Future students and influencers

The University commissioned exploratory market research targeted at future students, parents and career
advisors / teachers to test their reactions to the Tuakiritaka proposals, and what impact this would have on
their perceptions of the University.

In all, 42 one hour in-depth interviews were conducted, involving 22 prospective students, 8 career advisors /
teachers, and 12 parents.

  11