Dannevirkes Viking is coming closer

Following a positive result from a random telephone survey the council has advised the Dannevirke Promotion and Development society that it can now proceed to the next step and reactivate the required resource consent process.

It was proposed that the icon figure be situated at the south end of Dannevirke on land owned by OnTrack (New Zealand Railways Incorported). The council is required to hold the Deed of Licence for the site.

However the council had asked the organisers for a demonstration of community support before the resource consent process could proceed.

A telephone survey of 400 people including businesses conducted by students from Dannevirke High School returned a 54% response in favour of the project.

The Viking proposal and where to site it has been an ongoing debate in Dannevirke with doubts also raised as to how fearsome the image should look.

However material provided to the council by the town’s promotion society suggests that the Viking is ‘a good brand’ that has become an easily recognisable figure and a widely used icon in commercials.

“In Denmark it is a figure that implies tradition, strength and reliability,” the article states.