The NZflag.com Trust launches new designs

The Trust behind the www.nzflag.com campaign to change New Zealand's flag has highlighted a number of new flag designs on its website. The Trust has consistently stated that the stylised silver fern design it has used as the symbol for its campaign is not being promoted as a new flag for New Zealand. The 5 new designs are highlighted to stimulate further debate and thinking amongst New Zealanders and bring to 7 the number of new designs the Trust has launched www.nzflag.com/newdesigns.cfm.

Included are new designs by Dick Frizzell, Jeffy James, Turi Park, Cameron Sanders and Adam Schroyen.

Dick Frizzell's "The Waves" www.nzflag.com/designs_frizzell_waves.cfm is his latest design, following the earlier "Silver Fern Night Sky" design and "was inspired by a trip on the Auckland ferry and spotting the Auckland Harbour Board coat of arms on the Tug funnel."

Jeffy James is a professional designer who has illustrated over twenty books for local and international publishers. James' "Aotearoa Flag" uses red, black and white colouring to highlight the koru and southern cross icons www.nzflag.com/designs_jeffyjames.cfm.

Turi Park's "Long White Cloud" design derives from the work of artist Gordon Walters, using a "repeated koru device - a powerful and vital symbol of potential" - to describe the map of New Zealand, which Park points out "is universally recognisable" www.nzflag.com/designs_turipark.cfm.

The designer of www.nzflag.com's "Stylised Silver Fern" flag, Cameron Sanders, has designed a "New Southern Cross" flag in response to numerous people, including the Prime Minister, asking for such a design as a result of the change the flag debate www.nzflag.com/designs_sanders_scross.cfm.

The final design arose from a design competition run in September 2004 by STUDIO, the student representative body of the Victoria University Architecture and Design School and is by student Adam Schroyen. The black, white and green design composition is intended to "represent the cohesion and honesty of the people of New Zealand." www.nzflag.com/designs_schroyen.cfm

Over seventy prominent Kiwis across a range of disciplines including local government, sports, the arts, education, religion and business are pushing for a referendum on a new national flag. The www.nzflag.com Trust has sought the support of such a broad range of New Zealand leaders to show, by their support and widely differing backgrounds, that the campaign has engagement with all sectors of New Zealand society.

Their names, photographs and endorsements appear on the www.nzflag.com website www.nzflag.com/endorsements.cfm and include Olympic gold medallist, Barbara Kendall; world champion squash player Susan Devoy; musician Neil Finn; businessman Stephen Tindall, and Richard Taylor of Weta.

The www.NZFlag.com Trust, established in February 2004 seeks to gather around 300,000 signatures early next year to hold a referendum asking New Zealanders to have their say on whether New Zealand should change its flag.
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http://www.NZFlag.com Trust has been established to inspire and stimulate debate about whether New Zealand should change its flag.

The Trust believes in three guiding principles:
1. The debate must be apolitical
2. Change can only happen if New Zealanders agree to change ie by a referendum
3. The campaign must respect the current flag

Over 60 high profile New Zealanders representing a broad cross section of New Zealand society have currently endorsed the debate to change the flag, with more joining each week.

Richard Taylor, Weta Workshop: "New Zealand, Aotearoa, the land of inspiration, innovation and original thought. Our culture is special, our people unique. From our pacificana home we can proudly stamp our cultural reference and wave our uniquely New Zealand flag above the world stage. I endorse the concept of celebrating our land, our people with a national flag that respects and appreciates the wonderful country that we have become."

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