Five years ago I noticed a lot of talk about changing the New Zealand flag. At the time I threw together a quick design and sent it to the people that seemed to be actively doing something about brining change. I never got a response.
Today, the New Zealand Herald online printed a story showing that a lot of important folk now agree it is time for change. They provided a link to send in your designs, so I fished mine out of the archives, and sent it away. Included was the original press release I made in 2005. I have decided to reprint it here for fun. So here you go.
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…combining a passion for New Zealand, a love for her people, and a little design skill, the designer has created the Three Islands — One People” flag design as an alternative idea for New Zealands next flag.
March 14, 2005 – The designer has avoided using the silver fern in this design, feeling that the fern is too synonymous with sport to now be used to represent New Zealand as a whole. This design also uses a ratio of 2:3 rather than the 1:2 ratio of our current flag, for aesthetic reasons.
Three Islands:
New Zealand is a nation of three islands (not 2) and this has not been forgotten in the design of this flag. The blue area of the flag represents the North Island, where the Koru can be seen as a wave crashing down on the shores of the vibrant blue sea. The Green area represents the South Island with its clean green image and stunning scenery. The Koru can be seen as a curled crozier (monkeys tail) of a tree fern. The smaller red segment of the flag represents Stewart Island. Maori design techniques have influenced the use of red alongside the black of the Koru.
One People:
Although we are a nation of many cultures, we are also a nation of just one people, New Zealanders! The intertwining Koru represents the cultures of New Zealand mixing together in a way that we can no longer see where one ends and the other begins. As the Koru winds its way amongst the island of New Zealand we can see that the major bond holding us together is our unity as a nation. Three Islands — One People.
Tags: flag, New Zealand, nz