Flag it! by DEPOT

DESIGNING THE NEXT AOTEAROA / NEW ZEALAND NATIONAL FLAG

THANK YOU GUEST SPEAKERS

Michael Smythe, Dick Frizzell, Hamish Keith, Pamela Stirling

CURATORS/EXHIBITION COORDINATORS Robyn Gibson, Helen Winskill, Dawn Harris

GENEROUS SPONSORS

The Canvas Company, Resene Devonport, Flagz Group Limited (sponsor of The People's Choice Award)

FLAG IT! ISBN 978-0-473-30136-1 EPUB ISBN 978-0-473-30137-8 First published in 2014 by Depot Artspace 28 Clarence St Devonport Auckland 0624 New Zealand Phone: (09) 963-2331 Volume copyright © Depot Artspace, 2014. Individual texts copyright © the authors, 2014. Individual images copyright © the artists as attributed, 2014. Apart from any fair dealing, as provided by the Copyright Act 1994, no part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the prior permission of the copyright holders. 2

EXHIBITORS

Murray Altheim, Michelle Androu, Billy Apple®, Nick Boyd, Barry Brickell, Nigel Brown, Rob Buckett, Giovannina Cantale, Oliver Chun Xu, Sue Cole, Ron Davidson, Maya Duplan, Duncan Ecob, Philip England, Dick Frizzell, Otis Frizzell, Bev Goodwin, Dawn Harris, William Hindmarsh, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, Adam Isdale, Jinoy Jose, Richard Joughin, Ossian Kent, Maureen Lander, Sarah Lenton, Gary Little, Kyle Lockwood, Sally Lush, Bruce MacFarlane, Tony Makiha, Kamira Martin , Liz McAuliffe, Margie McCallum, Ross McDiarmurd, Michaela McGregor, Ian Murphy, Urikore Ngakuru, Corin Nielsen, Trevor ‘Ofamo’ Oni, Dugald Page, Mark Pulsford, Heather Randerson, Jill Reilly, Stacey Roper, Cameron Sanders, Saskia Scheele, Vanessa Seymour, Ro Smith, Michael Smythe, Ava Stiven, Peter Taylor, Max Thomson, John Waugh, Simon Welch, Christine Wynyard

CONTENTS Introduction, 5

ALTERNATIVE FLAG PROPOSALS:

The Flag Debate, 6 Flags of New Zealand, 7 — 11 Exhibition Images and Artist Statements: Dick Frizzell, 12 Nick Boyd, 13 Christine Wynyard, Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 14 Simon Welch, 15 Ro Smith, Ossian Kent, Studio Alexander, 16 The Royal New Zealand Air Force flag — courtesy of Grant Alexander, 17 Oliver Chun Xu, 18 Stacy Roper, Dugald Page, Sue Cole, 19 Designer Proposes a Walters Koru flag (Michael Smythe), 20 Bev Goodwin, 21 Kyle Lockwood, Gary Little, Richard Joughin, 22 A Designer’s Process at a Glance — William Hindmarsh, 23 Flag It! gallery view of No.1 Parnell St, Rawene, 24 — 25 Cameron Sanders, Michaela McGregor, 26 Ron Davidson, 27 Duncan Ecob, Max Thomson, Bruce MacFarlane, 28 John Waugh, 29 Barry Brickell, 30 — 31 Nigel Brown, 32 People’s Choice Award Winner, 33

DICK FRIZZELL 2004

FRIEDENSREICH HUNDERTWASSER 1983

AARON NICHOLSON 2000

Flag It! Workshop, 34 — 35 Flag It! Opening Panel Discussion, 36 — 39 Flag It! No. 1 Parnell St, Rawene 40 — 45 Raising the Branding Standard (Michael Smythe), 46 — 47

MICHAEL SMYTHE 2014

INTRODUCTION

The first of a two-part New Zealand Flag Referendum was held as a component of the 2014 national elections. The people of Aotearoa, New Zealand were asked to vote on whether or not their country will fly a new flag. In the case of an affirmative referendum it will be ensured that the public can contribute design ideas. Depot Artspace prepared for this process by initiating Flag It! — an exhibition opportunity for people to have their say and represent their country, identity and tūrangawaewae/sense of place by creating their own flag design and participating in panel discussions. The exhibition was held at Depot Artspace from September 6 — 18, 2014 and later travelled to No.1 Parnell St, Rawene in Northland were it was on display from November 22 until December 14. Over fifty designs were submitted during the exhibition at Depot Artspace and many more were added to the exhibition when it travelled to Rawene. Gallery visitors were invited to create and contribute designs whilst visiting the exhibition using the materials supplied by the Canvas Company and Resene Devonport in the Flag It! Workshop (installed both at Depot Artspace and No. 1 Parnell St). The opening of Flag It! at Depot Artspace featured an animated panel discussion, the panel consisting of: Michael Smythe, Dick Frizzell, Pamela Stirling and Hamish Keith and was moderated by operations manager of Depot Artspace, Lynn Lawton. Flag It! celebrated a second opening at No. 1 Parnell St with a traditional pōwhiri led by local kaumātua. 396 votes were received for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ (the most preferred design from the exhibition), which was open to gallery visitors for voting during the exhibition. Of those votes 121 people said they would like to change the flag (72%). 27 people they did not want to change the flag (16%). 19 people said they were undecided (11%). Turn to page 31 to see the winner! This publication features the designs and artist statements from the exhibition, images of the installation and opening, articles and basic information about the existing New Zealand flags and the ongoing debate surrounding them.

THE FLAG DEBATE BACKGROUND

There have been numerous calls in the last few decades for a new flag by MPs and by www.NZFlag.com, a trust established with this as the sole purpose. On the other side is the Returned Services Association (RSA), which has historically opposed any change to the flag, arguing that generations of New Zealanders have fought and died under it. In the Listener’s 1989 flag competition there were nearly 600 entries. The New Zealand flag was eventually announced as the minority winner with 45.6% of the vote. While most people supported other designs their votes were split between the six other options. “The true gauge of support for the flag cannot be gauged accurately by asking people what they think of the current design. A better picture emerges when the current flag is placed among other designs, with the invitation to choose between them. Most New Zealanders do want a change; what The Listener competition failed to do was toss up the right design that could tap that underlying yearning for change.” — Gordon Campbell, The New Zealand Listener In 2010 The New Zealand Herald ran a frontpage article arguing that it was time to change the New Zealand flag. On 11 March 2014, Prime Minister John Key announced that New Zealand would hold a referendum within the next three years asking the public whether or not to change the flag design.

Image facing page: A version of the United Tribes ensign. For more on the United Tribes design see the Depot Artspace publication He W'akaputanga Mai o te Raratiratanga — A Proclamation (Auckland, 2014). 6

New Zealand is not the first country to address re-designing their national flag. 31 countries have changed their flag since 1990. Canada adopted its current maple leaf red and white emblem in 1965, to show the country's independence. The maple leaf was seen as politically neutral and undeniably symbolic.

FLAGS OF NEW ZEALAND A HISTORY

In the 17th century, law dictated that all seafaring vessels had to carry a flag to designate their nationality. From this maritime tradition, the practice of national flags was established. New Zealand’s first official flag was the flag of the United Tribes. It was selected on 20 March 1834 by 25 Māori chiefs from the Far North who, with their followers, had gathered at Waitangi in the Bay of Islands. Missionaries, settlers and the commanders of 13 ships were also present.¹ The official British Resident, James Busby, made a speech and then asked each chief to come forward and select a flag from three possibilities. A flag based on the St George’s cross that was already used by the Church Missionary Society is said to have received 12 votes, the other designs 10 and 3. Busby declared the chosen flag the national flag of New Zealand and had it hoisted on a flagpole to a 21-gun salute from HMS Alligator. The Flag of the United Tribes was recognised as the first ‘national’ flag of these islands. The English King, William IV approved the flag and a drawing of it was circulated through the Admiralty with instructions to recognise it as New Zealand’s flag. The United Tribes flag was officially flown from 1834 to 1840. 7

Following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi on 6 February 1840, the Union Jack replaced the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand. The new LieutenantGovernor, William Hobson, forcibly removed the United Tribes flag from the Bay of Islands, and had the New Zealand Company’s version of the flag hauled down at Port Nicholson. Some Māori, including Hone Heke, believed that Māori should have the right to fly the United Tribes flag alongside the Union Jack, in recognition of their equal status with the government. Heke’s repeated felling of the flagstaff at Kororareka between 1844 and 1846 was a vivid rejection of the Union Jack, which was viewed as a symbol of British power over Māori. Similarly, Tarawhaiti’s act of hoisting the United Tribes flag on

Image: The Union Jack. 8

the island of Ruapuke in 1844 symbolised Māori independence. The Union Jack was used for all appropriate occasions on shore. At sea, New Zealand was represented by British naval or maritime flags until the Colonial Naval Defence Act became law in 1865. The Union Jack remained New Zealand’s flag until the passing of the New Zealand Ensign Act instituted the current flag in 1902. The Union Jack continued to be used regularly in New Zealand well into the 1950s, instead of, or in tandem with the New Zealand Flag. Today, it is most commonly seen in New Zealand when a member of the Royal Family, or other distinguished British guests visit.² The current New Zealand Flag was adopted in 1902 amidst the pomp and

patriotism of the South African War. The New Zealand Flag is the symbol of the realm, government and people of New Zealand. Its royal blue background represents the blue sea and clear sky surrounding us. The stars of the Southern Cross emphasise this country’s location in the South Pacific Ocean. The Union Jack in the first quarter recognises New Zealand’s historical origins as a British colony and dominion.

expressing a Māori purpose and using

New Zealand has a number of other official flags, including the maritime red and white ensigns and flags symbolising the Queen and Governor-General. ³

After some revision by other members

In 1989 a competition was run by a group named Te Kawariki to design a national Māori flag. The only flag that met the criteria of recognising Māori history,

the national Māori flag, at Waitangi, on

a Māori design, was one designed by Hiraina Marsden, Jan Dobson and Linda Munn. Another member of Te Kawariki, Walter Erstich, gave the explanation to the design.

of Te Kawariki, the final version was eventually approved and unveiled as

Waitangi Day 1990. It has since become known as the ‘Tino Rangatiratanga’ flag.

Image: The current New Zealand flag 9

EXPLANATION OF THE ‘TINO RANGATIRATANGA’ FLAG DESIGN Black represents Te Korekore, the realm of potential, the heavens, the long darkness from which the world emerged. Black also represents the male element — formless, floating and passive. White represents Te Ao Mārama the realm of being, the world of light, the physical world. White also symbolises purity, harmony enlightenment and balance. Red represents Te Whei Ao, the realm of coming into being. Red also represents active, lashing, southern, falling, emergence, forest, land, and gestation. Red is the female element, Papatuanuku, the earth mother, the sustainer of all living things. Red is also the colour of earth from which the first human was made. The koru (the curling frond shape) represents the unfolding of new life, rebirth, continuity, renewal and hope for the future.⁴ ¹ 'United Tribes flag', www.nzhistory.net.nz/culture/taming-the-frontier/united-tribes-flag (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 6-Jun-2014 ² 'Union Jack', www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/flags-of-new-zealand/union-jack (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 30-May-2014 ³ 'Flags of New Zealand', www.nzhistory.net.nz/politics/flags-of-new-zealand (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 10-Jun-2014 ⁴ www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/national-maori-flag cited April-3-2014 Image: The Tino Rangatiratanga flag design. 10

THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE FLAG ENSIGN The ensign has a light blue ground with the Union Jack in the first quarter and the Air Force roundel on the fly. The roundel While the roundel on the RNZAF ensign has not changed since its introduction in 1939, a number of versions of the roundel have been used on RNZAF aircraft. The RAF roundel was used until 1942. Between 1942 and 1945 it was primarily blue/white/blue, occasionally with white side-bands outlined in blue. Having reverted back to the RAF roundel in 1946, it remained unchanged when the RAF enlarged the red disc on its roundel the following year. In January 1957 the Air Board announced that it had developed a new national emblem â&#x20AC;&#x201D; a white fern would be placed on the central red of the RNZAF roundel. Because of remarks that this looked like a white feather, a symbol of cowardice, the colour was changed to silver, but on aircraft fuselage this looked like peeling paint. While some called for the fern to be replaced by a kiwi, others remarked that a flightless bird could hardly be an appropriate emblem for an air force. But support for the kiwi won out â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a red kiwi was formally adopted in place of the red spot in September 1970. This roundel is still in use today, but since the 1980s it has appeared on aircraft as a red kiwi on a blue disc, or a black circle around a black kiwi, to assist in camouflage. 'Royal New Zealand Air Force Ensign', www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/royal-new-zealand-air-force-ensign, (Ministry for Culture and Heritage), updated 30-May-2014 11

FLAG IT!

EXHIBITION IMAGES AND ARTIST STATEMENTS

"Future Flag" — Dick Frizzell

“Based on the idea of home, land and sea, the first draft copy I made of the flag incorporated a stylized mountain and wave which sat within the central image of the whare or home. After beginning to paint the final copy it became evident that the other two symbols were not needed and cluttered up the image. The four stars are the four stars of the Southern Cross, to emphasize our position globally in the world. The use of red white and blue is to honour our British history and all that which happened under our last flag — most importantly the two World wars and the men that fought in them for our liberty. The use of gold on the flag emphasizes the importance of the home and family for all people living in New Zealand and also what a special place New Zealand is to have as a home. The whare in the centre of the flag is to honour our Māori heritage and to the first peoples on this land, the gold also emphasizes how important Māori culture is to New Zealand as a nation as it is what truly makes us unique in this highly globalised world. Dedicated to my Father." — Nick Boyd 13

“I loved the design of this flag. It was given to me in the early '80s by a lovely Dutch woman I worked with in 'The Belly Button' restaurant in downtown Auckland. It got sewn onto my backpack and travelled with me everywhere I went; Thailand, Malaysia, the USA. I felt it expressed something about a 'young nation', the unfurling frond representing continual growth, always opening to the new, and of course green is one of my favourite colours, it has a freshness to it and represents the land, trees. It is not a static symbol to me.” — Christine Wynyard , Australia 14

"As black is a traditional colour of the Māori, the flag has a black strip on the left side. There is a fern green spiral which starts by taking up the entire width of the flag but decreases gradually, splitting it diagonally and finally curling up into a spiral on the right side. This curling fern is based on a Māori pattern known as the koru, and the corresponding white spiral alludes to Aotearoa, a Māori name for New Zealand meaning Land of the Long White Cloud." — Friedensreich Hundertwasser, 1983

Above: Installation view of (left to right) Maureen Lander, Michael Smythe and Ron Davidson's designs on display at Depot Artspace.

“The Southern Cross is historically important as our key identifier on the existing British Commonwealth flag so has been re-incorporated here. This combines with the three dots representing the distinctive shape of New Zealand. The connecting lines are symbolic of Aotearoa (the long white cloud) over the green lands of NZ.” — Simon Welch “Three dots represent the land mass of NZ. The flag is a celebration of New Zealand as an island nation with the concentric circles symbolising our heritage of living off the sea and the land as an agricultural nation.” — Simon Welch 15

“My design represents a partnership of Māori and Pakeha.” — Ro Smith

“The white part of the flag represents Aotearoa New Zealand's desire for peace. The Albatross in the upper-left of the flag is a reference to Parihaka (again a peace symbol). Black part of the flag = Māori people. Green koru spiral = culture, nature, and looking towards the future. Red line = remember the past (e.g. blood spilt, eventually leading to peacefulness).” — Ossian Kent Below: Installation view of 8 of the Studio Alexander designs submitted for the exhibition. Grant Alexander (of Studio Alexander) also kindly loaned the vintage New Zealand Air Force flag on the following page: An example of the original Royal New Zealand Air Force flag design, faded over time from exposure to the elements. See the 'Flags of New Zealand' section towards the beginning of this publication for more information.

“I wanted to create something that felt like we owned. I didn't what to dismiss the original flag completely either. So I made something that felt like it retained something that is important to us and yet still recognisable and now without a doubt, ours!" — Stacy Roper “BLACK, RED, WHITE: Respect to Tino Rangatiratanga BLUE: Traditional flag, Sky, Pacific Ocean STARS: Traditional flag SOUTHERN CROSS, A guide for sea navigation. GREEN: NEW LIFE, GROWTH, SPIRALS ARE ANCIENT AND IN ALL CULTURES — this one alludes only, to the Koru as a Frond, NEW BEGINNINGS — growing out of verdant green ground.” — Dugald Page “Symbolic of our landscape, volcanic, big skies, seas, the long white cloud and productive pastures. Also symbolic of the interweaving of cultures in New Zealand.” — Sue Cole

FACING PAGE: “Why do we need a flag? According to research, flags have been used as a form of communication for more than 4,000 years, initially for military purposes and then evolved to represent political parties and countries. But is a national flag really able to represent its country’s culture, the people and the place? To me, a flag is a form of an abstraction, a code of encryption. This flag is generated by a self-made software populated with the English text of the Treaty of Waitangi (February 1840). The colours are taken from the current New Zealand National flag as well as the proportion. The software goes through the text, replaces a verb with a red square, a noun with a white square, the rest of POS (parts of speech) with a blue square and throws everything else away.” — Oliver Chun Xu 19

DESIGNER PROPOSES A ‘WALTERS KORU’ FLAG Michael Smythe has long felt that Gordon Walters’ abstract koru paintings have gifted us an eloquent visual language. Thirty years ago he wrote to Walters: "I believe you have essentially solved the problem of representing New Zealand's identity." Walters replied: "Art depends on artists reinterpreting and extending the work of earlier artists... It seems that my approach is useful to graphic designers... That’s fine, that’s just another example of the natural process by which artists influence each other". Many years later Smythe was told by Walters’ widow, Dr. Margaret Orbell, that Gordon was delighted at the idea that his work might inspire a new New Zealand flag. After exploring many approaches Smythe believes he has arrived at a flag design that speaks for itself: "The Walters Koru is a much more innovative and enriching option than the silver fern. A flag using this visual language will raise the standard of national identity systems."

— Extract from WALTERS KORU Flag, Michael Smythe, September 2014.

Above: “Blue: Blue sky, blue water , islands surrounded by sky and water, the Pacific ocean Koru: New growth, new potential, the hongi – acknowledgement and respect of our peoples, the waka head and the prow of the sailing ships Red: Blood – the flow of life, the earth – its fertility Yellow: The sun, hope, the light in these lands” — Bev Goodwin

Below: Installation view of Bev's work and others in the main gallery of Depot Artspace.

Above: Kyle Lockwood's design. This particular design is one of a small few favoured by New Zealand Prime Minister John Key. This design was also the runner up in The People's Choice Award for Flag It!

Left: “Consists of a blue background (the sea) with a white fern frond imbedded lower left (depicting the country of New Zealand and all New Zealanders). In the upper left quarter, there is the Tino Rangatiratanga Māori flag representing the original settlers for New Zealand. “ — Gary Little

Below left and right: Two designs by Richard Joughin

A DESIGNER'S PROCESS AT A GLIMPSE Designer William Hindmarsh reveals the progress of his design 'Aotearoa — A Flag for New Zealanders' (above, initial design top left, final design bottom right). The design has been gradually refined since William first began to 'doodle' in 2006, "culminating in the exciting yet simple design you now see exhibited," he says. Symbolism in this flag design is explained by William by describing the individual symbols it contains and their relationships is described below: "The Silver Fern (Cyathea dealbata/ponga): A simple yet central design theme, signifying all tings living and spiritual in New Zealand, the fern contains elements of infinity grace and truth. The Southern Cross (Māhutonga): A powerful manifestation of Kiakitanga, which conveys collective guardianship over, and joint responsibility for the natural resources of the planet — its treasures (taonga), its living and ancestral forms of life. The Youth of New Zealand (our future) — The star epsilon crucis (the smaller star) is safely surrounded by the Southern Cross. Traditional colours —Honouring the monarchy and the sense of beauty and simplicity of our flag history." — William Hindmarsh

Above: KaumÄ tua Steve Morunga enjoys a moment of contemplation before the pĹ?whiri at the opening of the exhibition at No.1 Parnell St, Rawene, Northland. 24

"In response to many people involved in the flag debate wanting to retain the Southern Cross with the existing colours of the flag, I have explored a simplistic representation for the Southern Cross, enlarging the stars but retaining the correct proportions required by the current flag. There are three different sized stars and the star in the right quadrant is slightly higher than the one in the left. Also I have retained the original colour palette from our existing flag, thus linking the new design with its historic roots. Enlarging the stars would give us a strong distinction from our neighbours' Southern Cross. The end result is a bold and simple representation of what directs us south in the night." — Cameron Sanders

“This little piece is intended to be read and re-read and contains many layers of representation. There’s the North and South Islands and Cook Strait, measured in latitude. There’s a mountain and a river. There’s the four-seasonsin-one-day sky. There’s a beach with the tide out. In many ways it’s intended as a visual representation of our various tūrangawaewae. Our geography and natural environment is an intimate part of our past and our future. It’s an old-fashioned style of flag, easy to identify and reproduce, but drawn in new-fashioned colours and proportions: we’re an established country but we are always innovating. There are stripes which could represent the streams of Māori, Pakeha and other into which we continue to divide our society (which stripe is which? That depends on your views. It's all hanging off the same flag pole to me). To me, it sums up what kiwis are; solid, modest, and subtle, with a streak of brilliance. Why aren’t there any stars? I spent a long time and made a conscious decision not to add four red stars to the flag. They just seemed a bit too post-colonial. To me the use of the Southern Cross means more about being "Not-Europe" than they represent being part of the Southern Hemisphere. And great design is supposed to be when nothing else can be taken away..." — Michaela McGregor 26

"My recommendation is driven by a single, powerful design icon (the New Zealand koru) set within strong horizontal lines representing the land, the sea and the sky. The koru is New Zealandʼs unique native flora and a fundamental symbol in much of Māori art. I have chosen predominantly black because that colour is one that we New Zealanders have, for more than a century, proudly embraced as our own distinctive 'national identifierʼ, both here at home and overseas. But the inclusion of the blue and the teal stripes add positivity and vitality, while also being symbolic of our place as a South Pacific based nation. This flag design dares to be different and is one that doesn't compromise by falling into the trap of 'trying to be everything to everyoneʼ. A fresh, dynamic and ownable flag design in its own right!" — Ron Davidson Below: Flag It! at No.1 Parnell St, Rawene. Installation view.

Black & White with Blue & Red on Green “Deliberately naive for vigour and can do. A form from yesterday, from here and from there. Colours from our island”. — Duncan Ecob

“The Southern Cross The blue of the sky The green of the land and the long white cloud.” — Max Thomson

“Unity under the broad southern sky” — Bruce MacFarlane

HE AHA TE MEA NUI? HE TANGATA, HE TANGATA, HE TANGATA

"These paintings were completed in 2008 whilst living in Australia which gave me time and space to reflect on the differences in the two country's populations and the challenge of always focussing firstly and foremost on what is an absolute. This whakatauki, or proverb as being central to Māori. It translates to: 'What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.' These two paintings represent firstly the singularity of life in pre-European New Zealand, a landscape dominated by our dark forests, and secondly our transition to a multicultural society dominated by Māori and Pakeha values but with the ever growing Polynesian influences represented by the hues of the pacific blue background beneath the Southern Cross. In painting two, as in our present society the Māori (Tino Rangatiratanga) flag precedes the present New Zealand flag as our Māori heritage, values and culture are more relevant and more important to us today for the majority of ‘kiwis’, than our ties to ‘Mother England’ or to the Commonwealth. In each case the ‘question’ and the answer to the 'question’ remains the same. Other cultures have similar proverbs. This is Ours." — John Waugh

Above and facing page: A hand-typed letter from artist, writer, engineer and potter Barry Brickell about

the

concerns addressed in his design (image inset right). 31

A hand written letter and three alternative flag designs by renowned artist Nigel Brown. 32

PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD! THANKS TO FLAGZ GROUP LIMITED

“I always thought our flag should have a Māori design element to it. The night sky with the Southern Cross symbolises the early navigators that found their way here. The long white cloud mixes with the turbulent sea. The green is the land and mountains. Aotearoa.” — Otis Frizzell (quote and design above)

During the Flag It! exhibition gallery visitors had the opportunity to vote for their favourite new Aotearoa/New Zealand flag design. Over 100 votes were received during the course of the exhibition. Votes were tallied and artist Otis Frizzell's flag design (above) was chosen as the favourite to receive the People's Choice Award. Otis Frizzell’s flag was printed by Flagz Group Limited. His design was very popular and warmly received by the public. The runners up, who followed closely behind Otis, were Kyle Lockwood and Michael Smythe. 33

FLAG IT! WORKSHOP SPONSORED BY RESENE DEVONPORT AND THE CANVAS COMPANY

A vibrant workshop room sponsored by Resene was created inside the Depot Artspace gallery by curator Robyn Gibson, allowing inspired visitors to create their own flags to contribute to the exhibition. The workshop was immensely popular with all ages, particularly younger people and one young lady named Maya â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who created the Flag Apron and Small Dog Flag on the facing page. Paints and brushes were made available from Devonport's local Resene store and canvas was supplied by The Canvas Company. The workshop was recreated at No. 1 Parnell St in Rawene when the exhibition travelled there in November.

Below: The installation at No.1 Parnell St. All other images taken at Depot Artspace.

FLAG IT! OPENING PANEL DISCUSSION DEPOT ARTSPACE 36

THE PANEL

Dick Frizzell – Artist Pamela Stirling – Editor of the New Zealand Listener Hamish Keith (CNZM OBE) – Social commentator and art historian Michael Smythe – Design strategist, historian and writer Moderated by Lynn Lawton of Depot Artspace. Each panel member was given the opportunity to express their perspective, opinion and concerns, allowing for audience participation and engagement they also took questions from the floor, creating an open discussion. The opening panel discussion gained a lot of attention from the media and featured in the North Shore Times, panellists were also interviewed by Lynn Freeman for Standing Room Only (National Radio) and featured on the popular Back Benches TV. Most importantly this opening event provided the opportunity for people to express their ideas about the flag referendum and all the considerations to be factored into a new design, stimulating further thought and discussion about what this means for Aotearoa New Zealand going forward. 37

Above: Panellist Pamela Stirling takes the microphone. Panellists left to right: Dick Frizzell, Pamela Stirling, Hamish Keith, Michael Smythe and Lynn Lawton. Below: Dick Frizzell's remarks have clearly evoked a gleeful reaction in Hamish Keith.

Above: The discussion heats up! Below: Mixed reactions in the crowd as the discussion continues.

FLAG IT! NO.1 PARNELL ST RAWENE Above and below: Michael Smythe's flag design (centre flag in image above) and the flag of the 'United Tribes' were flying to celebrate the exhibition. There was a good attendance for the opening in Rawene's town centre at the newly renovated No. 1 Parnell St.

On Saturday November 22, 2014 Flag It! reopened at No.1 Parnell St in Rawene (Northland) with flags flying high. The Rawene exhibition featured a fresh addition of designs from Northland artists interspersed with the flag designs travelling from Depot Artspace and the second reincarnation of the Flag It! workshop. The exhibition opened with a traditional pĹ?whiri led by local kaumÄ tua. Flag It! continued at No.1 Parnell St until December 14, 2014.

Above and below: Some of the additional works added to the exhibition by Northland artists and designers when the exhibition reopened. Right: Local school children (top image) made the most of the Flag It! Workshop (bottom image) on their visit adding numerous fresh designs and just having a great time painting pictures.

Top left facing page: A variety of groups visited Flag It! at No.1 Parnell St on the opening weekend. Curator Heiwari Johnson (closest to the gallery wall, third from the left) explaining different designs to gallery visitors. Above this page: Some of the professionally constructed flags on display included (left to right) Michael Smythe's Walters Koru flag, an evolution of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag created by Maureen Lander, Otis Frizzell's design which won the People's Choice Award when Flag It! was exhibited in Devonport was professionally produced by Flagz group Limited as part of his prize, Ron Davidson's design inspired by the New Zealand koru. Below: A wide angled view of the gallery showing the reception and cafe areas in the main space. Bottom left facing page: Local musicians adding extra atmosphere to the gallery late in the day as the first weekend of the exhibition draws to a close.

RAISING THE BRANDING STANDARD — MICHAEL SMYTHE

"A plot is afoot! Scheming has festered within the bowels of our public service for decades. It is called ‘Brand New Zealand’ and it is fixated on using the silver fern to embody the values and preferred perceptions of our country." So reads the introduction to Michael's essay Raising the Branding Standard — an essay for the Design Assembly website refreshed and revised for Flag It! Further reading reveals Michael's researched understanding of parliaments intention to brand Aotearoa New Zealand under a silver fern and his considered and flexible design strategy for an alternative flag — the 'Walters Koru' flag. During the Flag It! exhibition Michael gave a talk about the hidden agenda behind the flag referendum, design principles in creating a new flag, and the concept behind his design which attracted a large audience intent on learning more about this bold symbolic proposal. Michael Smythe was a junior artist at National Publicity Studios when he met Gordon Walters who was in charge of the design studio at the Government Printing Office. It was 1963 and Smythe’s job included running down to the GPO to pick up gallery proofs from the linotype machine. The following year Smythe became a full-time student at the Wellington Polytechnic School of Design graduating in 1967 to commence his design career with Fisher & Paykel, JASMaD and then various incarnations of private practice. After completing a Master of Design Management in 2004 Smythe was asked to teach design history to undergraduates. This led to the publication of his book NEW ZEALAND BY DESIGN: a history of New Zealand product design – winner of the Best First Book of Nonfiction at the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards. michael@creationz.co.nz www.designarc.org.nz Image this page: Michael's photo for the Listener article about the New Zealand flag A Symbol Solution (15 February, 2014) Image facing page: Michael with his design on display during the opening panel discussion for Flag It! Image back cover: No. 1 Parnell Street in Rawene the venue for the Northalnd leg of the exhibition. Street view of the bulding which faces the Hokianga Harbour.