South Dunedin preschool concerned by name clash

The proposed Rainbow Corner Early Learning Centre will be built on the site of the Commercial Tavern in Green Island. Images: Supplied

The name of a new child care centre moving to Green Island has caused a stir at a Dunedin preschool.

Rainbow Corner Group managing director Rrahul Dosshi

The Rainbow Corner Early Learning Centre will open next year on the site of the Commercial Tavern.

But a trustee of Rainbow Preschool, in South Dunedin, says the newcomer’s name will cause confusion.

Rainbow Corner is a registered trademark. Rainbow Preschool is not.

"It doesn’t seem right," Rainbow Preschool trustee Alasdair Morrison said.

"You can’t have two Rainbow preschools in Dunedin."

The new Green Island centre will be opened by the Rainbow Corner Group, which owns about 20 child care centres across the country, including in Queenstown and Invercargill.

Dunedin City Council issued a resource consent in August for construction of an early learning centre at the site.

Mr Morrison contacted council planning staff on Friday, asking if there was an avenue to object over the conflict of names.

The New Zealand Intellectual Property Office website has 76 registered trademarks with the name "Rainbow".

Mr Morrison acknowledged rainbow was not a proprietary word.

"Nobody owns it."

He did not foresee any great competition from the new centre for the not-for-profit preschool, he said.

They are in different parts of the city.

"We just want to make sure there isn’t going to be any confusion."

Rainbow Preschool has operated at 414 King Edward St, South Dunedin, since 1989.

Rainbow Corner Group has a chain of early childhood education centres and home-based networks in New Zealand and overseas.

Group co-founder and managing director Rrahul Dosshi, of Auckland, said the name should not be an issue.

"There is nothing I can do about it, because we have a trademark on it ourselves," Mr Dosshi said.

Rainbow Corner would be more than a physical presence.

"It’s not about the name but it’s about the services we provide that matter."

The group also owns Porse In-Home Childcare and Porse Education and Training, which already services Otago and Southland.

Porse has been operating for 25 years and was bought by the Rainbow Corner Group in 2019.

The new centre will employ 19 full-time equivalent staff and take 90 children.

"That is a major contribution to the city, adding more jobs," Mr Dosshi said.

"We have all these other training facilities as well.

"It’s an eco-system of education."

The business had a 10% not-for-profit capacity to include families who could not afford child care.

"Money shouldn’t be a barrier to getting access to a quality service."

The Commercial Tavern lease will expire in August and the building will be demolished.

Construction work on the child care centre will begin late this year.

Staff recruitment would begin in January 2022, three months before completion, Mr Dosshi said.

Members of the public had contacted the Otago Daily Times, concerned about the safety of a child care centre at the busy corner site on Main South Rd.

Health and safety compliance issues had been taken care of, Mr Dosshi said.