Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Gareth Morgan offers $20k to design his flag entry

Press Release

Gareth Morgan offers $20k to design his flag entry

Gareth Morgan believes any new flag needs to acknowledge the Treaty of Waitangi, in which partners agreed to share this land and ensure that each other’s cultures thrive. Morgan believes NZ needs to embrace this opportunity to change our flag and is offering $20,000 for a flag that best meets his brief.

Morgan has no problem setting out what he thinks the flag should represent, but lacks the necessary expertise (and possibly taste) to deliver the finished product. “I need help. I flunked art class every year” says the outspoken economist and philanthropist. “This stuff is hard. I’m no designer, which is why I think the average Kiwi is struggling to engage. I have a deadly serious view of what the flag should represent but I couldn’t possibly draw a flag that meets that purpose.”

So Morgan is putting out a nationwide call for a flag design that actively reflects the spirit of the Treaty. The designer of the “winning” flag will receive $20k and have their design displayed on a high profile billboard. The winning design will be announced prior to entries closing for the flag consideration process and the entry will be submitted into the Flag Consideration Panel.

This is not about duplicating the Government process, or devaluing the entries that have been submitted already. Morgan just wants a flag that represents what he thinks makes modern New Zealand society unique, and in particular one that includes a nod to the Treaty relationship.

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

“Come the referendum I get one vote like everyone else. I’m just lucky I can afford to get a designer to help me out.” Morgan says he particularly wants young designers to enter, “after all the younger generations will be using this flag more than us. It would also be a bonus for me if the prize could help a young designer pay their University fees,” says Morgan.

There has been some disquiet among the design community about the way we are approaching the flag consideration process. There is no design expert on the Flag Consideration Panel that is choosing the short list for the referendum. Morgan has enlisted the help of a team of designers Mark Pennington (head designer Formway), Catherine Griffiths (designer and typographer) and Desna Schollum (Nga Aho co-chair) to help choose the winner.

Competition entries close on Monday 13 July in time for the official Flag Consideration Project which closes on Thursday 16 July. People can enter at designmyflag.nz.

ENDS.
Additional Information

Prize: $20,000, plus the flag design displayed on a prominent billboard

Launch: Monday 22 June

Entries close: midnight Monday 13 July

Winner announced: 16 July (in time to be entered into the Flag process)

Submit your design at designmyflag.nz

Brief: following his research on the Treaty of Waitangi, Gareth Morgan wants his flag entry to reflect 3 things:
1. Maori who invited their Treaty partners to share the land;
2. The heritage of British settlers; and
3. Our multicultural society - now and into the future.

In terms of priority, acknowledging the spirit of the Treaty – that the partners agreed to share this land and ensure each other’s cultures thrive – is the critical element.

Judges will be looking for a flag that meets the brief, but is also well designed (attention to composition, colour, can work at different scales and in different media formats).

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines



Gordon Campbell: On Dune 2, And Images Of Islam


Depictions of Islam in Western popular culture have rarely been positive, even before 9/11. Five years on from the mosque shootings, this is one of the cultural headwinds that the Muslim community has to battle against. Whatever messages of tolerance and inclusion are offered in daylight, much of our culture tends to be hostile to Islam when we’re sitting in the dark, with popcorn.
Any number of movie examples come to mind, beginning with Rudolf Valentino’s role (over a century ago) as the romantic Arab hero in The Sheik...
More


 
 


Government: One-stop Shop Major Projects On The Fast Track

The Coalition Government’s new one-stop-shop fast track consenting regime for regional and national projects of significance will cut red tape and make it easier for New Zealand to build the infrastructure and major projects needed to get the country moving again... More

ALSO:


Government: GPS 2024: Over $20 Billion To Get Transport Back On Track
Transport Minister Simeon Brown has released the draft Government Policy Statement (GPS) on Land Transport, outlining the Coalition Government’s plan to build and maintain a transport system that enables people to get to where they need to go quickly and safely... More

ALSO:

Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.