Thursday 5 September 2019

The time to choose Carterton’s clock tower paint colour has finally arrived and will be given over to our residents to decide.

The once heralded “Carterton’s Big Ben” has been under repair this year after a seismic assessment in 2015 identified the structure as being earthquake prone. Once the strengthening work is complete, the tower will need to be repainted, providing a unique opportunity to review the identity of our town's icon.

In July, Carterton District Council’s Policy and Strategy Committee approved to present the Carterton community with three colour options to vote on. The design options are the status quo (white and grey), a colour scheme that embraces the 1960s architecture of the tower, and a bold and vibrant rainbow colour scheme. These were selected by the council’s Place Making Advisory Group which consists of councillors, council officers, residents and representatives from eight community groups.

A vote to maintain the current colour scheme would see a revitalisation of the current off-white paint, giving the tower a refreshed, clean look and restoring its image in its present form.

The contemporary colour scheme aims to highlight and celebrate the iconic 1960’s architecture and can dynamically transform by night using low energy coloured LED lighting (funding permitted).

The rainbow paint option aims to create an icon with recognition beyond our district by creating the first rainbow clock tower in the world.

The colour scheme which receives the most votes will determine the final design. All three design options have the potential for exposed panels and lighting but would require external funding yet to be sourced.

There will only be one vote per ratepaying household in Carterton, with the official voting token included in the September edition of the Carterton Crier.

People will need to take their token to the Events Centre reception and place it in one of the three boxes which corresponds to the design they want to vote for. Voters will also need to fill out their contact details on the token for the purpose of eliminating duplicate votes. Voting will be available from Mon - Fri 9.30am - 5pm and Sat 10am - 4pm from 14th September until 5th October.

For more information and to view how the lighting could work (using the 1960's design option as an example) visit cdc.govt.nz/have-your-say/clock-tower-colour-vote/

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