Media Release
silverfernflag.org Monday 435pm 10 August 2015 We are pleased to announce that five of our flag designs have been short-listed by the Government's Flag Consideration Project. Recent polling suggests that the alternative flag most New Zealanders would choose, is a flag containing the silver fern, the fern symbol resonates with many New Zealanders, including Olympian Mahe Drysdale, who has recently expressed his preference for one of our silver fern flag designs containing the silver fern and Southern Cross. Like the maple leaf to Canada, the silver fern ‘screams New Zealand’, and it's not just a mere sports symbol. In far off fields lie our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, forever memorialised under the silver fern. The silver fern is on our army and navy logos, our firefighter, police and sportspersons uniforms, it's on our money, it's on our passports, it's on our national airliners, and soon our fern will be on New Zealand rockets sending satellites into space, it's our national symbol and it's time we put it on our flag. Kyle Lockwood Spokesman silverfernflag.org Contacts kyle@silverfernflag.co.nz admin@silverfernflag.org FLY OUR FERN [ENDS]
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We have been informed by various businesses and non profit organisations that NZ Trade and Enterprise are no longer licensing their fern to New Zealand businesses.
The most famous example of the NZTE fern is the design found on the side of Air New Zealand aircraft. Youi Insurance, Aerospace companies and New Zealand sportspeople have used our fern in the past, and We will continue to offer licences to NZ business, sportspeople, and non-profits, you can apply for your licence now. silverfernflag.org Prime Minister John Key believes proposals to incorporate the silver fern into a new flag could be worth 'billions' to the New Zealand economy. A new flag is "gonna be worth billions" to New Zealand, Prime Minister John Key says.
In an interview on More FM on Thursday morning, Key hit back at critics of the flag referendum. He said one of the main problems people had with the vote was the cost. "Basically in the end it's gonna be worth billions over time," says John Key of a proposed new flag.. "People say it will cost $26 million, it will cost less than that," he said. He argued that the flag would make New Zealand money in the long term. "How much is it worth ultimately if we change our flag and people recognise and buy our products? "Basically in the end it's gonna be worth billions over time." The two-step referendum on the flag was announced by the Government last year, with Key favouring a move away from the union jack on the current ensign. A panel is currently considering more than 10,000 designs submitted by the public. The panel will choose four options from those designs. In the first referendum, the public will rank those four options. In a second referendum, the existing flag will be pitted against the most popular choice. When prompted on whether the flag change would be his legacy, Key said the flag debate started before he became Prime Minister. "It's not about me," he said. "My legacy, I think, will be the economic management of the country, the way we stood behind Christchurch, so many other things. Hopefully my positivity as a prime minister." Key referred to Canada's flag change in 1965 to support his arguments for a change. He said the old Canadian design was similar to New Zealand's current flag and that the Canadian government selected a new design without a referendum. "Show me a single Canadian on their planet who would go back to their old flag? Not a single Canadian would." SUMMARY OF JOHN KEY'S 10 REBUTTALS TO KEEPING THE FLAG 1. "You're a bit late." The flag has been changed before, Key said. "It's actually our third flag," he said. "You're a bit late." 2. "Sheer confusion." "No one knows our flag internationally," he said. 3. "People fought and died under the flag, I understand that completely, and that's the line that the RSA runs." However, while Key respected the RSA, he said Commonwealth war graves were decorated with the silver fern, not the flag. He said the flag was about "values and principles of the country". 4. Other Commonwealth countries have changed their flag. 17 out of 20 Commonwealth countries changed their flags, Key said. "Odd thing maybe in a way is not changing." 5. "I'm the biggest constitutional monarchist out." To those who feared New Zealand would then become a republic, Key said he wanted the Queen to be the Head of State. 6. "Look at the Canadian flag." Key said wearing the New Zealand flag on a sweatshirt, no one would know what it was. Unlike the maple leaf. 7. "We simply don't use it." Key referenced sports games where New Zealanders don't wear the flag. 8. "Building the sense of a young multicultural country" Key said the flag will help young people to promote New Zealand overseas. 9. 26 million? "It'll cost less than that." "How much is it worth ultimately if we change our flag and people recognise and buy our products? Basically in the end it's gonna be worth billions over time." 10. "It'll never be the right time." To those who think now is not the right time, Key said it will never be. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/70872711/prime-minister-john-key-says-a-new-flag-will-be-worth-billions-to-new-zealand Last updated 13:12 03/08/2015 stuff.co.nz
How about a colourful flag for New Zealand? This flag is a variant of the Silver Fern Flag with the red portion at the hoist changed to black ‐ one of New Zealand's most well known national colours. Black has been a gazetted official New Zealand colour since at least 1975, along with red and white, and the colour blue features on our official coat of arms and, of course, our present flag which was made official in 1902. The colours black, red, white and blue were also on New Zealand's first home grown flag design of 1834. Black also featured strongly on New Zealand war service medals, given to our brave soldiers after World War Two, it is a significant colour to Maori, and features on the Maori National Flag of New Zealand made official in 2011. New Zealand's coat of arms was designed and made official in 1911. On the shield, three black ships on a white background, representing our trading, immigration, and maritime history, feature predominantly on the arms. Black also features prominently, but not overwhelmingly, on the cloak of the Maori supporter, and red and blue also feature strongly throughout. Contrary to popular belief the silver fern did not start out as a rugby football symbol, it actually was first worn by New Zealand troops in 1853, and in the 1880s was adopted by our rugby team, firstly as a gold fern on a navy blue Jersey. It wasn't until the early 1900s that the silver fern on an all‐black jersey became well known. Like the maple leaf to Canada, the silver fern ‘screams New Zealand’, and it's not just a mere sports symbol. In far off fields lie our soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice, forever memorialised under the silver fern. The fern is on our army and navy logos, our firefighter and police uniforms, it's on our money, it's on our passports, it's on our national airliners, it's our symbol and it's time we put it on our flag. On examining our history and growing sense of national identity, it appears that many would like to include our famous national colour black, and of course many others would not like to see a fully black flag with all the piracy connotations that it invokes. Perhaps this flag, with a nod to our past, incorporating all of New Zealand's national colours and the fern, is the design that best represents New Zealand ‐ without the colonial overtones of the Union flag that takes up the dominant position on our present flag. And, like the flags of Belgium and South Africa, it also doesn't suffer from an overuse of black. Black is our obvious national colour. It represents the pride and strength of New Zealand. To Māori, black represents potential, and signifies the beginning of time, which is apt, given our position as one of the first nations to see the new day. The colour blue, representing the pacific, and our clear skies, along with the traditional New Zealand Southern Cross in red, gives this proposed national flag the required vibrancy that a silver fern on an entirely black background cannot achieve. By incorporating the Southern Cross and colours from our present flag, I believe the design also honours our history. http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/assignments/share-your-news-and-views/12341164/Why-its-time-to-put-the-silver-fern-on-our-flag
Mike Summerfield, one of almost 20 people who suggested the design, says Hundertwasser’s experience as a migrant is core to the Kiwi experience. On the government’s flag design submission website, he writes: “In terms of global history, everyone is a recent migrant to New Zealand. The Hundertwasser Koru Flag is tied in with a story of a migrant who made New Zealand home and gifted the nation with a design that reflected the culture he saw here.”
New Zealand artist and illustrator Otis Frizzell has also based his design on traditional Maori motifs. Frizzell has retained the stars of the Southern Cross on his bold submission, which is rooted in three main elements; the sky, land and sea, and is shaded in green, black and white. “The Southern Cross is the first thing you notice. It is what led everyone here right from the first settlers to the colonialists. It is the navigation point that got everyone here,” he explains. “The white of the flag represents the long white cloud and also the white peaks of the ocean. The green shapes at the bottom are our mountains and waves from the green ocean. That ‘screams’ New Zealand to me, anyway. “It is sort of putting wrongs to right, and when I was a kid I didn’t know the difference between the New Zealand and Australian flag. I thought we had the same flag,” he says. ‘Simplicity is the key’ In September, Sydney will host the 26th International Congress of Vexillology, an event held every two years which attracts flag experts from all over the world. The chair of the Sydney organising committee is Ralph Kelly, who considers flags to be objects of art. His personal collection includes the royal standards of the German Kaiser and the Shah of Persia, along with the flag of Swaziland, which has a large shield that “just screams Africa and means something,” he says. "Some of the most ineffective designs try to do too much" “Some of the most ineffective designs try to do too much. The best approach is to work out the most important elements of a country that you are trying to represent,” he explains. “Simplicity is the key. The downside of that is you do have to give something up. That is why ultimately you are going to get something which pleases the majority but not everyone.” However, some flags are considered more pleasing than others. One example is Canada’s 11-pointed red maple leaf – widely regarded as a vexillologist’s delight. It is simple, striking and immediately recognisable. Kelly believes it has been extremely effective in “reinforcing a national identity.” But it is not the symbol that represents one of the world’s biggest countries that pleases Kelly the most. It is the banner that flies over its smallest republic – a tiny island nation in South Pacific. “My favourite flag is Nauru, which is a blue flag with a yellow line across the centre which marks the equator, and a large 13-point star which represents the historic clans of Nauru. It says ‘this is where I live in the world,” he says. Defining a nation’s character In New Zealand, the most common themes in the national flag consideration project are the silver fern and the kiwi, a flightless bird with a long bill. A decade ago, architectural designer Kyle Lockwood won a flag competition in his local newspaper in the New Zealand capital, Wellington. With a few modifications, he has submitted the same design ahead of this November’s referendum that features a silver fern on one side and the Southern Cross on the other with vivid red, white and blue colouring. It has fans in high places – Lockwood’s creation is the preferred choice of Prime Minister John Key. “The Silver fern resonates with a lot of people in New Zealand. It has been our symbol since at least the 1880s. It is instantly identifiable by all generations of New Zealanders at home and abroad as our truly unique national symbol,” Lockwood tells BBC Culture. “It is quite hard to get an entire nation represented on a piece of cloth. I do see it as a work of art and it is also something that should represent all of us.” Ultimately, a flag should define the character of nation. It is no easy task, even in a proud country as small as New Zealand. http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20150714-what-do-our-flags-say-about-us War historian Allan Udy honouring one of his fallen ancestors. Those who made the ultimate sacrifice, are now buried in far-off fields under the silver fern. It is said that one New Zealand Ensign, and thousands of silver fern badges and southern cross buttons went ashore with our soldiers at Gallipoli, tens of thousands of silver ferns were present on the uniforms of our brave NZ soldiers of both world wars, so what did they really fight for? Allan says; 'Let's not get caught up in the "... our servicemen fought for our current flag.." argument – our lost servicemen have lain under the silver fern for over 100 years in some cases. Allan also writes; 'Our New Zealand servicemen who fell in foreign lands have lain under the silver fern for over 100 years in some cases. The Silver Fern flag would be a lot easier to spot in the many Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries around the world compared to the current flag, which when furled is difficult to identify from a distance' Allan wrote the book On the Wings of History and works for the Historical Aviation Film Unit which produces high quality still photographs and video footage of aviation and motorsport activities, and publishes the material in a variety of formats for the enjoyment of enthusiasts worldwide.
For those who think the silver fern is a symbol of cowardice. Vote for your favourite flag
silverfernflag.org/vote For those who think the silver fern is a symbol of cowardice. Vote for your favourite flag
silverfernflag.org/vote For those who think that the silver fern is all about sport.
For those who think the silver fern is a symbol of cowardice. Vote for your favourite flag
silverfernflag.org/vote Soldiers fought for the freedom of their family, friends, and country and not just for a flag, Troops in the two world wars generally rallied around the Union Jack, and not the NZ Ensign. NZ troops in WWI generally served under the British Flag and in both world wars unit or formation flags were far more frequently flown than the NZ Ensign. Originally the NZ Navy was a division of the Royal Navy until the RNZN was formed as an independent service on 1 October 1941 but the RNZN continued to fight & serve under the Royal Navy Ensign until 1968 when the NZ White Ensign was officially introduced. The RNZAF became an independent service on 1 April 1937 but It continued to fly the RAF light blue ensign until January 1957. Since then several versions of the RNZAF Ensign have been flown. They fought for Freedom - Lest we forget Vote for your favourite flag
silverfernflag.org/vote In the event of a flag change, it would be legal to continue to fly the current flag of New Zealand, which is "recognised as a flag of historical significance." These flags can be flown any day of the week but would also be flown on days such as ANZAC day, and old flags would be replaced once worn out. Official documents depicting the current flag, such as driver licences, would be phased out as they are renewed - in the case of driver licences, this would take up to 10 years.
Vote for your favourite flag silverfernflag.org/vote We think it’s brilliant that New Zealanders are putting forward their design options, it should be actively encouraged as it’s getting New Zealanders to think creatively about what symbols really represent us as a nation today, flags featuring the Silver Fern and Southern Cross appear to be a common theme in the design options being put forward, we think this is because these two symbols are found in branding all over New Zealand, particularly the Silver Fern, which has featured on military uniforms since the Boer War. There is no question that the Silver Fern is the most recognised symbol of New Zealand. For over a century the Silver Fern has been the emblem of our sports men and women. The Silver Fern is used extensively as a symbol by Government, tourism, trade organisations and commercial brands. it's on our money, it's on our passports, it even appears on our war medals and on the graves of our fallen. The Silver Fern screams New Zealand!
Vote for your favourite flag silverfernflag.org/vote We have been given a unique once in a lifetime opportunity to democratically vote for a flag that truly represents us, let’s not waste it. Democracy always costs, if we put the one-off cost of the referendums into the context of our $150b national expenditure over the two fiscal years of 2014-15 and 2015-16, $25.7m is a small 0.01% of total bi-annual government expenditure. put simply, if you divide the cost amongst every New Zealander it’s about the cost of a few glasses of fruit juice and a sandwich.
Vote for your favourite flag silverfernflag.org/vote For the first time in history, New Zealanders will have the chance to democratically choose our flag. The existing flag was imposed upon us by the British, and we believe the two-step referenda voting process is the right approach and is not a waste of time. Flags are visual things, not political party policies. If we are simply asked “Should NZ change the flag” the answer is going to be no, it’s a superior process when we choose alternative flags up front, How many people would buy a house or a car, a new dress or a new suit sight unseen? It’s only when you see a new one that you realise how really out-of-date your old wardrobe is.
Three of our Silver Fern Flag designs have topped a New Zealand Herald poll today. The winner with 25% was the 'New Zealand Colours' Silver Fern Flag. In second place at 23% was our Original Silver Fern Flag design. Scoring third place with 10% was our Silver Fern Sports Flag. These results show that if we were to update our flag, everyday New Zealanders are quite partial to our national symbol, the Silver Fern. It's not surprising, as the Silver Fern is the most recognised symbol of New Zealand. For over a century the Silver Fern has been the emblem of our military and our sports men and women. The Silver Fern is used extensively as a symbol by Government, tourism, trade organisations and commercial brands. it's on our money, it's on our passports, it even appears on our war medals and is carved into the headstones of our fallen warriors. The silver fern is our symbol, let's put it on our flag. silverfernflag.org
He expected that to happen in homes and workplaces rather than at public meetings, but said the Government would have been criticised if it had scrimped on consultation.
The deadline for designs is July 16 after which the panel will select a shortlist of four flags to vote on in a referendum in late November. There had been almost 350,000 visits to the flag.govt.nz website where the designs are on show and 123,000 to the standfor.co.nz website. More than 2000 people had visited information stands. There had also been more than 202,000 visits to the Facebook page in the last week. "The turnouts have been smaller than ideally we would have liked, but it is another way of getting to people. And we are committed to as many ways of doing that as possible," Professor Burrows said. The debate over the flag has been bogged down in political arguments about the cost and the order in which the referendums are being held. Professor Burrows admitted he was getting some flak from those who believed the $26 million process was a waste of money in the wake of polls showing low support for change. He said that was a matter for the Government. "It is a lot of money and you can't conceal that fact. But that's what democracy costs and this has never happened before in over 100 years and it's not likely to happen again for many decades." The silver fern and/or Southern Cross feature on most of the submitted designs. Many take inspiration from well-known alternative flag designs by the likes of Kyle Lockwood, Otis Frizzell, Gordon Walters and Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Variations on the United Tribes and tino rangatiratanga flags also feature, as does the kiwi. Flag it • Submit a design at flag.govt.nz. The deadline is July 16. • Roadshow meetings over the next week are on the West Coast and in Nelson. • Have a say at standfor.co.nz The results are in - but with so many similar looking designs in the top 10, what do these results actually mean? Through a process of elimination 7734 New Zealanders have narrowed down the 2000+ designs at the flag.govt.nz website to a shortlist of 10 top designs, The two real design contenders are: 1. Eight variants of the Silver Fern flag designed by Kyle Lockwood. 5898 Votes | 76% 2. Two variants of the existing New Zealand Flag designed by Sir Albert H. Markham 1836 Votes | 24% Broken down into their variant subgroups we see the following results:
It appears that once the public are given options, an alternative design can become serious competition to the existing New Zealand Flag.
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