Here’s the new design. I’m quite excited about this one... it sort of arrived fully formed... inspired by a trip on the Auckland ferry and spotting the Auckland Harbour Board coat of arms on the Tug funnel (the Waves).
As you’ve probably gathered I’m still hung up on the tradition of the deep royal blue...and the red (Maori definitely still want the red in there somewhere from everything I’ve heard)... and the Southern Cross. And here it all is in a beautiful resolution... just floated into the studio more or less as you see it... the sign I was looking for!!
I’m also relieved to have got right away from the silver fern and the black. We don’t have to worry about the old fern... it's always going to be there as a sort of unofficial flag... but for the formal flag... the official flag... I believe we need to be connected to the current flag in some measure. And I think this does it. And knowing what a tortuous journey it always is on a design job of this complexity I’m not surprised that I had to work through that insanely complicated earlier design to get to this clear space. Hell...it SPARKLES !!
Dick Frizzell
November, 2004