We hope everyone is staying safe out there amongst our global community, Particularly our ex-pats located in Victoria Australia, the US and in Europe. Please stay safe.

Firstly our apologies for those who are still waiting for their flag deliveries, There have been a number of suspended delivery services, due to flight cancellations and government restrictions because of COVID-19 Global Pandemic, the situation is evolving daily, we apologise in advance for any delivery delay inconvenience due to factors outside our control.

Suspension of Airmail Services
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, Airmail delivery has been suspended until further notice, we have had a number of international customers request refunds due to their airmail parcels going missing, therefore, effective immediately, all international parcels will be sent via tracking, tracking is slightly more expensive, and this has been reflected in our postage costs in our Store. Note, overall prices for our NZ and Australian customers remain unaffected. 

Dispatch
Generally flag orders are dispatched by our volunteers once a week on the Monday after the order has been received. flag orders made within NZ are sent from Wellington, and generally take about 2-5 working days from dispatch to arrive at addresses around New Zealand. Flags sent to addresses in Australia take about 10 days to arrive, and International parcels, sent from Melbourne, have been taking up to 10 weeks, due delays caused by the global Pandemic If your order has taken more than 30 days to arrive at an address in New Zealand or Australia, or 12 Weeks to arrive at an international address please contact us here, unfortunately, aside from COVID-19 delays, we have sometimes had delays at Customs, and in very rare cases, less than 1% of orders go missing in the post. We thank you kindly in advance for your patience in waiting.   

Stay safe,

Kyle Lockwood
Designer
silverfernflag.org

Firstly, thank you to all, for your continuing support of the Silver Fern Flag, particularly during these challenging times, it is much appreciated. 

To all our customers, volunteers, friends and family, your health and well-being is our top priority, and in support of the worldwide effort to contain the spread of COVID-19, we have enacted some temporary changes to our operations in both New Zealand and Australia.  

As you are most likely aware, from midnight 25 March 2020, New Zealand will go into a 4-week lock-down, our Wellington office has already temporarily closed.

As a result, our Melbourne office has also closed temporarily, for those of you who have placed orders since Sunday, 22 March, your order has been put on hold, we are very sorry for this, however we do not want to put at risk the health of our volunteers during this challenging time. if you have placed an order since 22 March, you are also most welcome to request refunds on your flag orders.

If you are happy to wait, orders are still being taken, and packaged up, but please be aware that there will be a minimum of a 4-week delay in sending out your flag items, we will be acting on the advice of the New Zealand, Australian, and Victorian State Governments before we send out any orders. 

We apologise for this temporary inconvenience, however the health and safety of our volunteers at this time is our first priority, 

We look forward to serving you again once this COVID-19 situation is over. Please stay safe everyone, be respectful and kind to one another, together, (but obviously at least 2 metres apart), we will get through this!

Kyle Lockwood
Designer

​In 2020, the Silver Fern Flag will turn 20 years old, the flag concept was originally penned by designer Kyle Lockwood, whilst he was completing architectural study at Massey University in the year 2000.

The design underwent many refinements over the years, and reached a zenith in 2015 when it was voted as the Preferred Alternative New Zealand Flag, in a national flag referendum, by the people of Aotearoa, New Zealand.

In the second flag referendum of 2016, the design gained a significant minority of the vote with around 44%, - by approximately 1 million voters - no small feat, considering the politics of the time, there's nothing more political than updating a nation's flag!

The flag has since been spotted all over the world where New Zealanders congregate, particularly at sports matches between our rivals with a similar-looking ensign over the Tasman, when New Zealanders fly this flag, it's very clear which country is being supported!

Please note that we will be away on holiday break from 24 December 2019 to 6 January 2020. A big thank you to all our supporters this year and we look forward to seeing you in 2020!​

silverfernflag.org

Over the past month we have had a large influx of orders for the Silver Fern Flag and also the Silver Fern Sports Flag, and unfortunately we ran out of stock of both of these flag types!

However we now have good news to share, earlier this week we received our large and medium-size Silver Fern Flag, and also our Silver Fern Sports Flag shipments, we are pleased to report that all outstanding orders were sent out to our patient customers earlier this week. 

Thank you all kindly for your patience.

Kyle Lockwood | silverfernflag.org
Designer

​Silver Fern Flag designer Kyle Lockwood was recently interviewed by the Foreign Desk at Monocle Magazine, Monocle is an international magazine briefing on global affairs, business, culture, and design.

Kyle designed the official Alternative New Zealand Flag, voted by the people in a 2015 referendum, Monocle looked at flags their design, and their importance to the people they represent on the world diplomatic stage, they also asked why New Zealand needs an updated post-colonial era flag.

You can click on the link below and listen to the whole show, or start at the 10.00 minute mark to hear Kyle discuss the Silver Fern Flag.

https://monocle.com/radio/shows/the-foreign-desk/262/

The silver fern flag, designed by Kyle Lockwood will feature at the V&A Gallery (Victoria & Albert Museum) in London.

This is one of the world’s top galleries and we are very excited that our Silver Fern Flag will be proudly on display.

This major exhibition is well worth a visit if you are in London between Saturday 12 May 2018 and the 4th of November 2018.

This exhibition will display emerging technologies, the ways in which they will affect our lives in the near future, and what choices we have – as citizens – to influence their development.

The world of tomorrow is shaped by the designs and technologies emerging today. From smart appliances to satellites, this exhibition brings together more than 100 objects either newly released or in development that point towards where society might be headed. Although some may seem straight out of science fiction, they are all real, produced by research labs, universities, designers' studios, governments and corporations.

Guided by ethical and speculative questions, we invite you to step into four scenarios – self, public, planet and afterlife – each evoking increasing scales of technological impact. How might these objects affect the way you live, learn and even love?

The undeniable physical reality of these objects may give the impression that the future is already fixed. But new things contain unpredictable potentials and possibilities, often unanticipated even by their creators. It is up to us – as individuals, as citizens and even as a species – to determine what happens next. While the objects here suggest a certain future, it is not yet determined. The future we get is up to us. The future starts here.

1. Self
What makes us human? We can now design life itself. Our bodies, and even our internal biological systems, are becoming sites of design. Wearable technologies and personal trackers have become standard objects of our everyday. We measure our heart rate when we go jogging, and navigate cities with the help of GPS. As we extend our cognitive and biological capacities through machines, distinctions between what is human and what is technological blur. Once synonymous with privacy and reclusion, the home is now a broadcasting station from which we share our lives through social media. We are now all connected, but are we still lonely?

2. Public
Are cities still for everyone? This section explores the public realms of cities, politics and networks, the places where we come together to collectively make decisions. People get together to crowdfund everything from bicycles to bridges, or to leak governmental secrets and generate new currencies. In face of this, Does democracy still work? The future of public and civic spaces lies between two competing forces: the top-down strategies of an increasingly small number of companies and governments, and the bottom-up tactics of an increasingly large number of people. Which will thrive?

3. Planet
Should the planet be a design project? Human activity has altered our planet to the extent that some scientists have declared a new geological epoch, the 'Anthropocene', or 'age of humans'. Now that we know our behaviour has unintentionally designed the Earth, can we use technology to reverse the effects? Some designers are working on possible solutions to clean, repair or give back to the planet. Others are looking beyond the Earth for solutions in the stars – designing satellites that scope asteroids for mining new geological resources, and solutions for inhabiting Mars. But if Mars is the answer, what is the question? Can we still save our planet or shall we leave?

4. Afterlife
Who wants to live forever? Current advancements in biotechnology and artificial intelligence have the potential to redefine our conceptions of what life is. Reawakening after death or uploading one's mind onto a computer are ideas that may sound like science fiction but are taken seriously by some futurists today. Against these efforts to preserve the self, institutions such as the Long Now Foundation or the Svalbard Global Seed Vault are working to preserve humanity through books, seeds and material culture. What do we want to preserve for the future – the individual or the collective?


See more, and to book visit;
https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/about-the-future-starts-here-exhibition

                                                                                             
​Silver Fern Flags designed by Kyle Lockwood will feature in This is New Zealand an upcoming exhibition running between ​3 March – 15 July 2018, at the Wellington City Gallery​.

This Is New Zealand explores the role art has played in asserting and questioning notions of national identity. It considers how our country has represented itself, and what those representations have included and excluded. It takes a critical look at the stories we have told ourselves—and the stories we have told others—about who we are.

New Zealand has been going to the Venice Biennale since 2001, declaring our internationalism. However, some of our chosen artists have taken the opportunity to tackle old themes of national identity, playing on the Biennale’s anachronistic national-pavilion structure, so reminiscent of World’s Fairs and Expos.

This Is New Zealand re-presents Venice works (by Michael Stevenson, Michael Parekowhai, and Simon Denny), alongside New Zealand works created for World’s Fairs, Expos, and other diplomatic contexts (by Marcus King, John Drawbridge, Inia Te Wiata, Hugh Macdonald, Para Matchitt, Douglas Lilburn, and Fiona Pardington), and films, TV ads, and early tourism campaigns. There are also new projects exploring national iconography (by Bronwyn Holloway-Smith, Gavin Hipkins, and Emil McAvoy).

The show borrows its title from one of the key works—the spectacular three-screen film made by Hugh Macdonald at the National Film Unit for the New Zealand pavilion at Osaka's Expo '70.

If you are in Wellington between 3 March–15 July 2018 be sure to check out This is New Zealand. 


silverfernflag.org

Dr Danny Keenan PhD - Historian 

The silver fern does have deep historical roots, and for people who are interested in New Zealand's history, it's worth the time to read about the reason why it has been chosen to be one of the country's popular symbols. 

The silver fern was once proudly embraced by Pakeha (New Zealanders who are of European descent) as a symbol of their new-found home in New Zealand. The fern once anchored new kiwis to this landscape. It’s a shame that we have such short memories.

The major complaint against the use of the fern has been its popular use as a brand, or a logo. Some have said it belongs on sporting jerseys and vests, but not on the flag.

For those of us who care about our country’s history, this level of criticism has been a little disheartening, to say the least. The silver fern does have deep historical roots. Perhaps our modern addiction to mass consumerism, and commercial symbolism, blinds us from seeing the silver fern in its real historical context.

The fern’s appearance as a national symbol goes back to the 1880s, when Pakeha decided that they wanted to be New Zealanders, after all. Census figures in 1886 showed that native-born Pakeha now exceeded 'Europeans' living here but born overseas.

This new feeling of ‘belonging’ gave rise to the Native Associations, which formed after a successful inaugural meeting of settlers in Westport in 1890 (inspired by similar movements in Australia and Canada). Branches soon sprang up all over New Zealand, giving rise to an outpouring of nationalist literature, poetry, songs and landscape paintings as Pakeha searched amongst the figurative undergrowth for an organic foothold.

The silver fern was once embraced by Pakeha and survives as a symbol of organic beauty. It takes us beyond our British colonial origins, when, under the current flag, our boys went overseas and died to defend Empire, to say nothing of those 3000 Maori who died on our own soil, defending hearth and home, under attack by the same flag.

The fern represents all of us; we should be proud to see it on our flag.

Source:  Dr Danny Keenan PhD - Historian

-
​
silverfernflag.org

The original article appeared on 29 December 2017 at: https://1sttheworld.com/blogs/news/why-is-silver-fern-new-zealand-symbol ​

Fans turned out in droves, from all over the country, to welcome the victorious Team NZ. From kids taking days off school, to young women armed with marriage proposals, to those who remembered previous parades.

Here are their stories.

Holly Linstead, 7, Barbara Davies, Lucy Rankin, 4, and Kim Davies.  Photo / Grant Chapman

Kim Davies from Mt Eden in Auckland travelled to support Team New Zealand at Valencia in 2007. She brought her daughters Holly Linstead, 7, and Lucy Rankin, 4, to the parade to carry on that tradition. Her mother, Barbara Davies from Takapuna on the North Shore was also there.
The family got up early to watch every race. "I like Peter Burling but remember seeing boat builders working through the night so really admire them too," Kim Davies said.

Eliezer Peehikuru, 9, and Micah Peehikuru, 12, waving a special edition of Kyle Lockwood's Silver Fern Flag during the parade. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Eliezer, 9, and Micah, 12, were on Queen Street early for the parade. Their parents, Maika and Melissa Peehikuru, also brought along baby Eliana, who turns 1 next month. "It's a once in a lifetime opportunity," their dad said. "We came mostly for the kids to see the cup and just be part of history..."

Team New Zealand holding onto the silverware. Photo / Jason Oxenham

​Team NZ helmsmen Pete Burling says the screaming crowds were "unreal" to come home to.
"It's been a whole heap of hard work for our team and it feels pretty special to bring it home."
His parents Heather and Richard Burling were at the Viaduct to cheer on their son. "It's unbelievable what they've done, what the team's done," Richard told Tony Veitch.

Peter Burling and his Emirates Team New Zealand paraded along Auckland's Queen St with the Auld Mug before taking to the harbour. It is the first time since 1995 that the America's Cup has landed on New Zealand shores and fans were keen to welcome the cup home.

The crowd's excitement was palpable as the athletes and trophy sailed past, with screams and cheers. Other boaties showed their support, waving New Zealand and Silver Fern flags from the decks of their yachts.

Team New Zealand boss Grant Dalton earlier confirmed to the crowd they'll be heading to Wellington on Tuesday, Christchurch on Wednesday and Dunedin on Thursday. And it doesn't stop there.

He said they will make sure, in conjunction with their sponsors, they'll tour the cup to the provincial centres, saying "the heartland of New Zealand where the real people live. Dates for the heartland tour are still be be confirmed.

"Some of us are old enough to remember 1995 and how amazing that was, Dalton said.

6 Jul, 2017 3:31pm   New Zealand Herald

Silver Fern Flag designer Kyle Lockwood appeared on Channel Three's 'The Project' tonight discussing the bid to purchase the 150 year-old Dunedin Cadbury Factory, like many Kiwis he made a small pledge to try and help keep it open. Watch the video for more.

Lift-off at 4.20pm today was the first orbital-class rocket launched from a private launch site in the world.

New Zealand has become the 11th country with potential to launch cargo into space, joining superpowers and tech heavyweights. The Government has hailed the lift-off as major milestone for the country's space industry.

The rocket took three minutes to reach space - outer space starts at 100km above the earth's surface - with a "great" first stage burn, stage separation, second stage ignition and fairing separation.

"We're one of a few companies to ever develop a rocket from scratch and we did it in under four years. To get as far as we did on the first test flight doesn't often happen," he said.

"It was a beautiful mission to watch."

He gave the flight a "10 our of 10" and a big party was planned tonight at the company's operations base near Auckland Airport. 

During the next few weeks, Rocket Lab's engineers in Los Angeles and Auckland will work through the 25,000 data channels that were collected during the flight and results will be used to improve the vehicle's performance for two further tests.

Beck said the company had done more ground testing than was usually done and it had paid off with yesterday's flight.

The 17m tall rocket - with a silver fern on its nose - lifted slowly from the launch pad before accelerating and was packing an estimated one million horsepower.

Forty-year-old Beck is a hands-on engineer, he was raised in Invercargill and founded Rocket Lab in 2006.

The Electron is made entirely of carbon-composite material and is designed to carry payloads of 225kg to an elliptical orbit and up to 150kg to a nominal 500km Sun-synchronous, low Earth orbit.

Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges has hailed the launch as the first visible sign of a space industry in New Zealand.

Rocket Lab and all New Zealanders could be proud of it, he said.

"New Zealand is now one of 11 countries able to launch satellites into space from their own territory and the first to launch from a fully private orbital launch range."

Kyle Lockwood, the designer of New Zealand's alternative flag, designed the silver fern which adorned the first prototype Electron rocket and Rocket Lab's official 'It's a Test' mission patch.

CEO Peter Beck approached Kyle in 2014 for a licence to use his silver fern design.  

We congratulate Rocket Lab on the successful launch of the Electron Rocket, and we are proud that our silver fern design played a part in the test launch today.    


Grant Bradley - NZ Herald |  silverfernflag.org​

​Our silver fern design will feature in a tribute to the ANZACs, The Silver Fern has been used as a distinctive marker of New Zealand troops since the 19th century.

25 April 2017 marks the anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula. On this important day, millions of Australians and New Zealanders will honour their fallen in commemorations worldwide.

Lifewear approached us for a licence to use our fern design on their shirts, and we are proud to be part of their commemorative ANZAC shirts. This fully printed polo is a tribute to all men and women who served New Zealand. It is of a respectful style with traditional fold-over collar, A timeless profile and modern generous fit. This polo keeps the wearer cool and dry, and the lightweight AirCool fabric offers sun protection and creates a soft mesh-like feel that ensures breathability.
The shirts are available at Lifewear

 ​The Christchurch United Football Club wanted something uniquely New Zealand on their jerseys, and chose our Silver Fern Flag design to feature on their new uniforms.

For those living in Christchurch, do go and check out Christchurch United's state-of-the art artificial pitches, top quality natural pitches, fit-for-purpose floodlights, and a 500-seat grandstand which will soon be flanked by new offices, changing rooms and a café that will create the best year-round  football environment for players, parents and supporters.
​
Christchurch United FC has set itself extremely high standards to deliver a world-class football experience, both on and off the pitch, from their elite players, to the First Kicks toddlers and weekend warriors battling in the masters grades.

​Over the years Silver Fern Flag has licensed the design to many proud kiwi non-profits and companies – including Rocket Lab, who will soon launch from Mahia – ​revolutionary new rockets carrying our silver fern design, and satellites into space.
​
​We have also licenced the New Zealand Elite Triathlon Team to use our fern and are more than happy to licence our design to all kiwi sports teams, not just the elite ones. 

For more on licensing | silverfernflag.org/licence
​
Info on Christchurch United | cufc.co.nz
​
silverfernflag.org

New recruits Juan Chang, (Guatemala) and Colin van Gool (Netherlands) model the new jersey, with coach Fernando Lambert.  - Photo CUFC

​Prime Minister Bill English has revealed he voted for the flag change, but says John Key's failed referendum on this issue showed the perils of politicians rather than people trying to drive change.

It is the first time English has revealed how he voted in the flag referendums. He had refused to give his view at the time because he was in charge of the referendum process.

Now he is Prime Minister, English said the flag referendum showed constitutional changes such as the flag or a move toward a republic should not be led by politicians.

"That is the lesson from the flag referendum. I oversaw the process for changing the flag, I voted for changing the flag. In the end, a lot of the voting became a bit of a political vehicle, probably because it was proposed by the Prime Minister.

"So I think in future that constitutional change needs to come from the will of the people."

Flags fly in Harington Point, including a red version of Kyle Lockwood’s silver fern flag (foreground) and the New Zealand Red Ensign (right).

Flags, flags everywhere. Shawn McAvinue asks why so many residents in a small settlement at the northeastern end of Otago Peninsula are flying flags.
​
Harington Point crib owner Don Shanks said the flying of flags just "evolved" in the "tight-knit community".

"It’s amazing how it evolved. Everyone got on board. We didn’t have meetings about it, they just popped up."

The Shanks crib on Harington Point Rd had been in the family since 1957.
It was not known when the flag pole was put on the crib shed, but a photo taken of a sea lion on the beach in 1973 showed it was there then.

"If it is the first one, I could not tell you."

He owned nine flags.

"From Hawaiian, to Scottish, to happy faces — a whole array."

When someone died in the community, New Zealand flags were flown at half-mast across Harington Point.

The flags were flown at half-mast when his brother Roy Shanks died in December 2015 and when his wife Moira Shanks died in May last year.

The flags were also lowered when local, Matenga "Marty" Taiaroa died on a fishing boat when sailing from the West Coast to Dunedin in February last year.

"The flags were lowered to half-mast in respect. It’s quite significant for the area and it means a lot to everyone."

Permanent Harington Point residents Jim and Elaine Shanks — no relation to Don — said the wooden flag pole was put up on their house about 20 years ago when they built a deck. The pole was salvaged from the supporters’ club at Carisbrook and was given to the couple, who are life members.

"Otherwise it would have been cut up as firewood."

He believed their house was the third in Harington Point to get a flag pole.

"It’s something that has proliferated over the last few years ... it’s good because it adds colour to the area."

His flag collection was in tatters after being "hammered" by the wind, but his Confederation of United Tribes of New Zealand 1835 flag was in good condition.

The other flag in good nick was the Speight’s flag given to him by former All Black Greg Cooper.
"It’s a special possession."

The Speight’s flag was hoisted only when the community needed to know a few drinks were being had inside.

Harington Point crib owner Linda McLean said she and her husband Clark were flying the flag of Hungary because they  recently had visitors staying from the European country.

A seal sleeping on their water tank on Wednesday night was not bothered by the flapping of the tri-coloured flag.

The couple owned about 15 flags.

"We often have an Aussie one up because our son-in-law’s an Aussie."

When the Hungarians departed, the Hungarian flag was replaced with the Dunedin flag.

The McLeans bought the "wee shack" about 40 years ago and when they had added rooms on to the crib, the flag pole was moved from the back to the front.

Harington Point crib owners Barry and Heather Clough said they would like to have a flag pole at their crib.

"Everyone’s got one."

The Dunedin couple was seeking a second-hand pole after being quoted $600 for  a new one. Mrs Clough said any second-hand pole must be sturdy, preferably alloy.

"Everything rusts out pretty quick," she said.

The Cloughs knew once they got their pole, they would  open themselves up to getting flags as presents on  every occasion.
​
"If you can’t think of something, you give them a flag."

https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/settlement-shows-its-true-colours

​San Jose Earthquakes and All Whites defender Kip Colvey is back home in Linkwater, the Marlborough Sounds.

From the Marlborough Sounds to Major League Soccer, 2016 will go down as the year Kip Colvey stepped up to the big time, achieving his lifelong dream of becoming a professional football player. Phillip Rollo reports.

After snaking through the initial bends on Queen Charlotte Drive at the foot of the Marlborough Sounds, you eventually arrive at a house peering over the glistening water with two giant flags waving in the wind and a letterbox with a Porsche painted on it.

One of those flags is the Kyle Lockwood silver fern design, the alternate to the current New Zealand flag.

The other is that of the San Jose Earthquakes, the Major League Soccer franchise.

It's the tell tale sign that this is the home of Kip Colvey, Linkwater's professional footballer.

Colvey introduces his family, starting with his mother Sue, then sister Kendall and finishes with "Kip senior", his father.

Kip senior restores classic Porsches from a workshop at their home, which is just short drive from Havelock.

Family has played an important part in Colvey's young career, supporting him from the early days when he shifted to Nelson to attend Nelson College before moving further south to Christchurch to join the Asia Pacific Football Academy.

It seems every step he took, even as a teenager, was a step towards becoming a professional football player.

"There was always a vision to move on and keep moving up, but I guess it was lucky how it all happened and having good people throughout my youth career looking after me because it all worked out in the end," he said.

Colvey's family are extremely proud of what he achieved this year. The two shrines, one with his All Whites playing jersey and one with his Quakes playing jersey, perched in the lounge are evidence of that. So is the flag.

The Colvey family frequently travel to watch the 22-year-old play abroad and family holidays always revolve around a game of football. 

That tradition started when he was a student playing for California Polytechnic State University, more commonly known as Cal Poly.

Their latest trip, to the small village of Kone in New Caledonia, was to watch him represent New Zealand in a World Cup qualifier. They drove for three hours to get there from Noumea and sat in the stands alongside just a few hundred spectators.

"We had booked the tickets way in advance because they were a lot cheaper ... we said we'd go and if Kip makes the squad then great, but if not we'd go and support the team anyway," Sue said.

"It just worked out that Kip was in the squad."

Their next trip is pencilled for Fiji in the next World Cup qualifiers, although they may decide against going as they are saving for the Confederations Cup in Russia.

"We would definitely want to go to Russia so we'll have to look at the finances."

Drawn against Portugal, Mexico and hosts, if Colvey is selected it will be the biggest tournament he has played at.

He could be marking Cristiano Ronaldo.

"It'll be fun," Colvey said with a smirk.

"It's a goal of any player to play in a tournament like that, so I just have to stay healthy, put my best foot forward and I'll be there."

The idea that he could play against the world's best player, proven by Ronaldo's fourth Ballon D'or, is something of fairytale for most New Zealanders.

But it's entirely possible for a youngster who is already living a dream few players will ever experience.

Colvey said he was "crying inside" when he was offered his first professional contract by the Quakes at the beginning of 2016, a team coached by former United States national team member Dominic Kinnear.

He wanted to "play it off cool" and act like the contract was expected. The reality was actually the opposite, and the emotion was one of relief after fighting his way through pre-season to get his hands on the carrot that had been dangled in front of him.

"I was fighting back the tears because it was a long time coming. It was probably one of the better moments of my life," he said.

"I always thought if I kept working hard that people would notice but it's lucky that it worked out the way it did. I know a lot of kids that haven't got drafted and had to go through other ways. A few of my friends had to go through the USL and work their way through the ranks."

Colvey said he dashed back to the hotel to call his family and deliver the good news.

"I knew they were on edge too. It was a cool moment."

Colvey was selected at No 49 in the MLS SuperDraft. Kinnear saw potential in the defender, who is capable of playing at left-back or right-back and picked him in the third round. However, players selected that deep are very rarely signed. 

​Being drafted is effectively being placed on trial so the joy was tempered somewhat.

Colvey said they call players in that position "camp fodder."

"You're there to get minutes until the starters get fit and then they're playing 90 minutes in the last game and you're out, so going in it was just great to be in pre-season camp, get in that environment and see what I could do.

"I kind of knew where I was standing and I knew the team needed a fullback, so that was the only real positive I could to cling on to."

Colvey said the pre-season involved plenty of games, which gave him ample opportunity to showcase his talents.

Eventually D-Day arrived, when the final contracts had to be signed. Colvey said was "bittersweet."

"There was a group of us that got drafted together, spent a month in the hotel, and some of them got let go. It was exciting for me but it was pretty cut-throat."

In his rookie year, Colvey wasn't sure when, or even if, he would make his debut. It turns out that first chance came on the opening day of the season.

He was brought on against the Colorado Rapids. It was halftime.

"We were out there having a kick around, having fun, as you do as a sub, and then 10 minutes into the break and the goalie coach came over and said 'there's a chance you might go on, you should probably get ready.'

"I thought maybe one of the guys was feeling tight a little bit but I figured he'd probably just stay on for 10 minutes, and in my mind I thought it probably wasn't serious."

Two minutes later another member of the coaching staff came over and told Colvey the instructions for defending and attacking set-piece plays.

"So I was like 'oh, so I'm going in for sure?'"

Colvey threw on the blue and black Adidas playing jersey and ran out with the team for the second half.

San Jose scored just five minutes later, which eased his nerves, and they went on to win the game 1-0.

"I was happy with the way it worked out. I was in a bit of rhythm. Going through pre-season you play all those games and if I had to wait before I played my first MLS game I would've been out of rhythm and a little bit shook."

Colvey started the next two games at left-back, facing the Portland Timbers and the star-studded LA Galaxy, who visited New Zealand twice when David Beckham was on their roster.

Colvey would play against the Timbers once more, his debut season ending with four appearances and a total of just 315 minutes of game time.

He said it was frustrating waiting for further opportunities that never came, loaned out to San Jose's feeder side Sacramento Republic, who compete in the second-tier USL competition, at various stages throughout the season in order to get game time.

"It was a week to week thing. If they wanted me I'd go on the weekend, like Thursday, but then I'd be back for training on Monday.

"It's not like a six-month deal like it is in Europe and it's just a short drive."

A regular day with San Jose will see Colvey and his team-mates arrive at training well before the scheduled 9am start.

"You gotta be ready or you get found out," he said, hence the early arrival.

He will start by jumping in the hot tub, have some food and will warm up by working out in the gymnasium.

"Then we meet at 10am in the locker room, the coach will say a few words about the game, show some film, and if it's closer to another game we'll go over the other team, work out our strategy and then go over training."

Then training, which lasts anywhere between 90 minutes and two hours, begins.

"It's not too stressful. Earlier in the week they're harder then it tapers off like you'd expect."

There's a lunch provided after practice and players recover in ice baths or spend more time in the gym before heading home.

Colvey's contract is worth US$51,499.90, around NZ$72,000. He is one of the lowest-paid players in the league but that is expected considering his rookie status and the fact he came via the draft.

He isn't the first New Zealander to play in the MLS and he shouldn't be the last either. Ryan Nelsen and Simon Elliott are two of the most well known All Whites to ply their trade there while others in recent years include Tony Lochhead, Dan Keat, Andrew Boyens, Michael Boxall and Jeremy Brockie.

Jake Gleeson is the No 1 goalkeeper for the Portland Timbers and is the only other Kiwi that featured during the 2016 season.

A former under-17 and under-23 representative, Colvey said making his full international debut for the All Whites against Fiji in their Nations Cup opener was "right up there" with the best moments of his life, of which he's had plenty in 2016.

"I've played for the youth teams but just being in the full team environment, walking out and hearing the national anthem, you're representing your country at the highest level so there's no better feeling."

New Zealand went on to win the Nations Cup, but it wasn't easy going, stuttering to a penalty shootout win over the hosts, Papua New Guinea.

​"It's very tough to play there," he said.

"It's not just because of the conditions or whatever. It's just a long time to be in a hotel, people get frustrated, you're doing the same routines every day ... the pitch is terrible, the fans are against you, and there's the heat."

The Nations Cup carried significant importance for New Zealand Football especially as a place at the lucrative Confederations Cup was on the line.

Colvey said the players were aware that it was a win at all costs tournament.

"We knew what was at stake. We talked quite a bit as a team at night before the games about what we needed to do and that we needed to perform and there were players with injuries [that were unavailable] so we were fighting for them too.

"We knew if we won we'd get better games against higher-ranked opposition, which we saw against the US and Mexico, and because we were looking at the World Cup, that's our goal, so we knew the better competition would be crucial for us to prepare for that South American side."

The game against the United States against Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington DC was a moment Colvey really cherished. After all, he was born in Hawaii, speaks with an American accent and has lived in the country for the past five years.

His San Jose team-mate, goalkeeper David Bingham, was a second half substitute. Although there wasn't any pre-game banter between the pair, he said Bingham was "pretty pissed" with the result as New Zealand secured a memorable 1-1 draw.

"There's a lot of hype around that team when they play, especially in the States, and in RFK Stadium in DC. There was a lot of media attention on them so it was fun to play against them.

"It was definitely a bad result for them because they got slated."

The game followed on from New Zealand's 2-1 loss to Mexico, that particular international window seen as a major turning point in coach Anthony Hudson's tenure after suffering a few scares against much weaker competition at the Nations Cup and only narrowly going on to win.

​"We had always thought what we were doing with Anthony would work no matter who we played but there always the question of what would happen when we came up against someone that can play.

"I guess the Mexico game was the point where, although we lost, we were really close to turning them over and we followed that up with the US game so we knew we could play with these people and the philosophy we have been working on for the past two years is coming together and we are just about ready."

Colvey has recently signed an extension with Quakes, keeping him in the United States for at least one more season. He said he had his fingers crossed that he would be re-signed, although it was only in the past few weeks that the offer finally came his way.

"When you've been in and out of the squad you never know, and you never know what's going on behind the scenes.

"But I'm happy they picked up my option. I'll be back next year and I'm looking forward to it."

Colvey is aware that there will be increased expectation in season two. But that's fine by him as his aim is "step it up" and break into the starting 11 on a regular basis, knowing he needs to be playing frequently for his club to continue getting opportunities with the All Whites in an important year.

"I'm not a rookie anymore."

Colvey will head back to California in early January, but for now he's just relaxing at home in the Marlborough Sounds, spending the next week "just laying down."

"It's gorgeous. We're lucky to be here."​

 - Stuff

An Auckland town's tribute to Kiwi musicians and entertainers has to be redesigned in a 'David and Goliath' battle with Hollywood.

The twelve star plaques honour famous Kiwi entertainers.

But Hollywood Walk of Fame own the rights to any five-pointed object in the ground worldwide, according to Stage 51 director and Austin Powers impersonator Gary Brown of Red Beach, north of Auckland.

The stars, similar to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, pay tribute to musicians and entertainers including Sir Howard Morrison, Ray Columbus, Hello Sailor, Gray Bartlett, Tom Sharplin and the Cadillacs, and David Hartnell.

He was approached via email by global brand licensing agency Global Icons on behalf of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, who control the rights to the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for his unauthorised use of their brand.

"[They] tried to slap a copyright on me for US$50,000 a year.

"After eight months of trying to negotiate with them, they finally got down to US$25,000 a year and I told them to stick it."

Hollywood Walk of Fame own the rights to any five pointed object in the ground worldwide and said the money would be used for maintenance, and to ensure the stars are kept of a high quality, Brown says.

The deal is similar to one The Hollywood Walk of Fame has with Universal Studios' theme parks for their replica walks.

Two others licensees are also "in the contract stage of their Walk of Fame licenses" and unable to be named, Global Icons told Brown.

"I said 'you guys are just being bullies, this is ridiculous. We're a small little town and we have no income from this'," Brown says.

SEVEN POINTS INSTEAD OF FIVE

Brown is now in the process of moving and redesigning the stars, he says.

When Brown first installed the stars he had approval from the former Rodney District Council as it was understood then that the footpath was council owned.

He now has permission from the Auckland Council to move the stars across the road to Orewa Square where there is a paved area and fountain, but just needs to the money to get it done.

Big names on the walk are planning a fundraising concert to raise the funds with a date yet to be set, but likely to be in September.

"It will almost be like a legends of the century event really. Because you don't get too many events with these guys all together. It's very special," Brown says.

The new stars across the road will now have seven points on them thanks to alternative New Zealand flag designer Kyle Lockwood.

He has licensed Brown the rights to use the silver fern from his flag designs, set behind the star to add a sixth and seventh point.

Brown says the new design has met with approval from those whose names are on the walk.

"All the guys seem to really like it."

Brown says it is important to keep the star walk as New Zealand as prominent New Zealand artists age and some like Hello Sailor musicians Graham Brazier and Dave McCartney pass away.

"They need to be remembered for the influence they had on the New Zealand entertainment industry," he says

Brown is now looking for businesses who may be interested in contributing towards the big name fundraiser.

"They will get great publicity for helping and if a good contribution, a complimentary seats to the event."

STARS ALIGN

Stars on the Orewa Boulevard include Hello Sailor, Gray Bartlett, Dennis Marsh, Sir Howard Morrison, Ray Columbus, Tom Sharplin and the Cadillacs, Suzanne Lynch, Shane Hales, Ray Woolf, Larry Morris, Les Andrews and David Hartnell.

They or their families attended their plaque unveiling outside the former Boulevard of Dreams restaurant and bar run by the Browns until April 2012 when it closed for financial reasons.

Some, like Dennis Marsh, even performed there.

Several, such as Morris, Hartnell - who is The Variety Artists Club of New Zealand patron, Bartlett and Marsh have indicated their support to Brown.

Marsh says Orewa should back its walk of fame. But if the town doesn't want the star plaques he's happy to put them outside his The Chapel Theatre at La Valla in Tuakau where he and others perform.

JAY BOREHAM - FAIRFAX  ​​http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/82131020/orewa-walk-of-fame-on-the-move
Last updated 14:12, July 15 2016

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Silver Fern Licences can be obtained for business and sports team use at silverfernflag.org/licence