A sign of how corporates think

Written By: - Date published: 8:00 am, March 11th, 2010 - 20 comments
Categories: local government - Tags: , ,

The more I think about the ‘Wellywood’ sign the angrier I get. Who does Wellington Airport think they are imposing this monstrosity on the people of Wellington without any consultation?

If you don’t know the city, the sign will be sitting above a roundabout at the end of the main road in and out of the Eastern suburbs. Everyone living there will have to pass it twice a day. And the poor sods in Hataitai will have their view of the harbour ruined by it.

I just don’t understand what is in the heads of the airport. Why do they think they can just act how they please without any consideration for the rest of us? Maybe it’s just another example of the corporate mentality in this country – a subtle blend of arrogance and idiocy, without a hint of taste.

It wouldn’t be so bad if it was a decent feature. But that’s the point, the airport didn’t even bother to ask the people who would have to put up with the sign if they liked it.

Still, it must be abundantly clear to even the thickest executive by now that there is incredible depth of opposition to this ugly, tacky sign (8,000 members in the anti-sign Facebook group in two days) and if it goes up it will soon be coming down. Hopefully common sense will prevail and they’ll bin the idea.

If Wellington Airport really wants to do something with the land it should clear the gorse and put in native bush instead. That would really be a site to welcome visitors to our country with.

[oh, and I see Kerry Prendergast has come out in favour of the sign. Typical – pro-business and tacky are her bywords. We need one strong Left candidate to knock that ditz out of office. The sign could become a useful example of her uselessness]

Update: I’ve just heard on the radio that the Hollywood sign is trademarked and the owners always decline requests to imitate it. The beautiful part was a representative of the trademark owners saying they encourage cities to do something that represents the uniqueness of their own communities.

20 comments on “A sign of how corporates think ”

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  1. chris 1
    11 March 2010 at 8:18 am

    supposedly the hollywood chamber of commerce is saying it’s trademarked and they’re not happy at all. heard on rnz this morn

    captcha: strange

    • Bored 1.1
      11 March 2010 at 9:42 am

      Hmmm, the free marketeers with their own pet restrictive practices…….

      • Draco T Bastard 1.1.1
        11 March 2010 at 1:16 pm

        True, but this time, ironically, it’s actually going to do some good.

    • Rich 1.2
      11 March 2010 at 2:30 pm

      IANAL but trademarks have to be associated with a good or service. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce doesn’t run an airport.

  2. bad idea 2
    11 March 2010 at 8:34 am

    what is left to say, if it goes up it will be coming down very soon after, and i know i am not the only one thinking that

  3. lprent 3
    11 March 2010 at 8:52 am

    In anycase it should pass a truth in advertising principle. Something like this would be more accurate…

  4. crib 4
    11 March 2010 at 9:01 am

    The stuff.co.nz poll is quite amusing

    What do you think of the new ‘Wellywood’ sign for the capital?

    It’s great, I love it
    3232 votes, 7.9%

    Nice idea, but I’d prefer something more original
    2633 votes, 6.4%

    I don’t like it, it’s tacky
    32675 votes, 79.8%

    It’s idiotic, Wellington doesn’t deserve it
    2387 votes, 5.8%

    Total 40927 votes

  5. torydog 5
    11 March 2010 at 9:08 am

    way to much time on ya hands to be worrying about something as trivial as a sign!

    Get over it.

    • freedom 5.1
      11 March 2010 at 12:36 pm

      idiot

      [lprent: Why? If you don’t make a point about why you think that about torydog, then you’ll find that I ban people for making assertions stupidly. ]

  6. tc 6
    11 March 2010 at 9:20 am

    ‘a subtle blend of arrogance and idiocy, without a hint of taste…’ exactly the kind of behaviour being transplanted from existing corporate hidey holes by Wodney and Johnny clown to run auckland without consultation/answering to anyone, so that should go well then.

  7. Captain Rehab 7
    11 March 2010 at 10:07 am

    It’s not just the poor sods in Hatati, it’s Roseneath, Lyall bay and those on the Kilbirnie hill. But it’s not just the stupid sign. There’s going to be a huge bright orange Mitre 10 Mega on cobham drive that will be just as mad if not worse.

    That’s what you get for having fuck all regulatory protections. Oops, sorry, “bureaucratic Red Tape”.

  8. chris 8
    11 March 2010 at 10:32 am

    of course, NZ’s own tasteless adonis of the retarded campaigns for retarded causes world, John Ansell, just loves it on Kiwi Blog

  9. felix 9
    11 March 2010 at 12:04 pm

    Can’t we just do this instead? Pleeeease??

  10. Leopold 10
    11 March 2010 at 1:47 pm

    Can’t see it lasting long once the fatcats living in Roseneath and Hataitai find that they have to peer at it every day….

  11. Rich 11
    11 March 2010 at 2:32 pm

    Mitre 10 Mega has no council shareholding, AFAIK. Hence their taste or lack of doesn’t get associated with the people of Wellington.

  12. gitmo 12
    11 March 2010 at 3:57 pm

    It’s made youtube.

  13. freedom 13
    12 March 2010 at 8:37 am

    i certainly hope no money from jackson and co is going to save the hollywood sign as a sweetener to erect a wellywood sign
    http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2010/03/11/4006927-group-still-needs-millions-for-hollywood-sign-land

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