“Pick Rick”: it’s a slogan that has stood the test of time and beaten social media as an advertising strategy in the Tauranga election.

Tauranga voters have been picking Rick Curach since 2001 and for what became his seventh successful attempt at a seat on the council table, he subbed social media.

Instead, the Arataki ward councillor used his tried-and-true slogan on signs and took to the streets for some good old-fashioned spruiking.

Curach has a personal Facebook account and set up a professional page but didn’t promote it or pay for sponsored posts that appear in people’s newsfeed.

“I’ve never really embraced it [social media], and it can be a real time-waster.”

Social media advertising can be somewhat annoying for a lot of people because it’s more “in your face”, he says.

The re-elected councillor took out three ads in a local newspaper for the “key voters” who still read print publications, he says.

Curach’s election page on Facebook has 25 followers and he posted three times during the six-week campaign period.

He won with 1894 votes in July’s Tauranga City Council election, where a mayor and nine councillors were chosen to run the city for the next four years.

He had a 170-vote margin over Kim Renshaw, who was next in line and had a larger presence on Facebook. Renshaw also didn’t run Facebook ads, according to the Meta ad library.

Rick Curach’s signs are hot property in every election and often get nicked. Photo: John Borren / SunLive

Curach says the secret to his success is in part the slogan and the fact the signs have become sought-after.

Every election, the councillor gets extra signs printed because they’ve been nicked.

“I’ve heard a lot of stories about where my signs ended up.”

One featured in a couple’s wedding in Fiji and his daughter spied one displayed proudly in the window of some student flats when she was at university.

“It’s amazing how a little thing can become, in a smaller city, a bit of a mini phenomenon.”

Curach was told that a bus full of school children would chant “Pick Rick” whenever they passed a sign this election.

The winning catchphrase nearly didn’t make the cut in the beginning. It was a choice between “Tick Rick” and “Pick Rick”.

“We chose Pick Rick and it’s been consistent right the way throughout the whole political career.

“It’s like Weet-Bix, you don’t change your brand.”

Curach says it's a positive decision because under the Single Transferable Vote system, voters no longer tick their ballot papers but instead number them.

A Pick Rick sign from 2016. Bay of Plenty Times photo / John Borren

Curach served on the council from 2001 until 2019, when he lost his seat. He says he “dodged a bullet” by not being on that council.

“It wouldn’t have been a nice place during that year or so.”

The council elected in 2019 was discharged of its duties by then Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta after infighting and governance issues.

She replaced them with the four-person commission led by former MP Anne Tolley in February 2021.

Curach says he is optimistic about the new council.

“We’ve got a good bunch and particularly the desire to work together. Given what happened last time, they’re all keen to work in harmony and if any issues come up, just bang - address them immediately to stop it festering.”

Eight of the team have not served on the council before. Pāpāmoa ward councillor Steve Morris, who was last elected in 2019, is the only other previous councillor.

Curach says he ran because he thinks it's important to have some experience on council.

He also has concerns about the affordability of the proposed rates increases in the 10-year plan and Tauranga’s housing shortage.

“We’ve got a serious problem because the lack of [housing] supply keeps the prices up and keeps the rents high.”

The new council will be sworn in on August 2.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.