The Case for the Koru
Flags. Flags. Flags.
It seems almost pointless writing this post. After all, as John Key has recently expressed in his op-eds - “New Zealanders have already spoken” regarding the flag change, referring to the overwhelming support for the silver fern on black at a recent All Blacks game.
Nevertheless, I disagree with Key, and wanted the chance to express the thoughts and reasoning behind my flag submission - The ‘Modern Hundertwasser’ - an adaptation of The Koru Flag by Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser.
Why the koru?
- The koru is an enduring symbol of Aotearoa.
- It has cultural significance - the Koru is an integral symbol in Maori art, carving and tattoos. The symbol is suggestive of life, growth, strength and peace. The swirling form can be read as a merging between cultures, between people and nature.
- It has natural significance - the shape is based on an unfurling Silver Fern frond, an appropriate symbol for an emerging country like New Zealand.
- Finally, it is distinctive - No other country has a similar form on their flag. It has an elegant simplicity that says ‘Aotearoa.’
Why this koru?
When researching the history behind our flag debate I came upon the Koru flag by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. In 1983 he gifted this flag to New Zealand in appreciation of becoming a New Zealand citizen.
“Proposal for a second flag for New Zealand, which represents an unmistakeable identity that combines New Zealand’s age old heritage of nature and the heritage of Maori history with the growing future of a new nation.
The flag symbolizes old and new, history and progress at the same time. This flag symbolizes peace, but not weakness, but the strength of creation moving forward in a courageous engagement.
At a moment in human history with increasing environmental concern New Zealand gives an example to the world because this flag represents peace with nature, human development in harmony with nature. It is the sign of understanding with this everlasting powerful ally. This flag is a symbol of a new age, a big step towards mankind’s responsible evolution…”
- Hundertwasser (full manifesto here)
Hundertwasser was ahead of his time, and his flag design - at this stage more than 30 years old - still looks excellent today. To me it represents the essence of New Zealand, who we are and what we aspire to be.
In terms of color choice it is apolitical - it has no connection to the red, white and blue of British colonial flags.
“…The green is carefully composed of the special earthy deep, lush and fertile greens of the New Zealand bush and farmlands, not occurring anywhere else. This green is the wealth of New Zealand…”
- Hundertwasser
Looking at Hundertwasser’s flag, I saw only a few issues. Firstly, the black bar on the left seemed to me out of place and unnecessary, the design is stronger without it. Secondly, the spiral itself is too complex to be easily described and reproduced, the curves not as rounded and smooth as they could be.
With these issues in mind I set out to modify the form and came up with the following solution:
The koru is now a cleaner, single loop. I thickened the white negative space on the inside of the koru to make the flag more ‘readable’ at a distance.
When folded in half into a square the flag can still be read as a distinctive koru, it can also be nicely cropped into a circle - say for a badge.
Finally, why not the silver fern?
Simply put, the silver fern comes with baggage. When I look at a silver fern, the first thought that pops into my mind is not New Zealand, but our sport teams, primarily the All Blacks. Despite its history, the symbol has become a brand mark. Secondly, as an image for a national flag it is very complex. A common rule of thumb for flags is that the design should be so simple a child can draw it from memory. Simplicity is key.
Kyle Lockwood Fern / All Blacks Fern / John Key Fern
Try drawing a silver fern. How many ‘leaves’ does it have? How do they taper off again? What happens when you get to the end of the leaf? Does this look like a fern or a feather? The All Blacks logo has dealt with this problem by abstracting the form, although it would still be a stretch to call it simple. To see an example of this being done successfully we can look at the flag of Canada. The maple leaf has been stripped back into straight lines and basic shapes. Compare this to the proposed Silver Fern on black and I think the issue is clear.
From the get-go, the flag debate has been met by many with indifference or resistance. It is certainly not without its problems. I do, however, still see it as an opportunity - one we are unlikely to have again within our lifetimes. The money is being spent no matter what. I’d rather we engage with it and come up with the best solution we can.
Tomas Cottle is an illustrator / designer / motion graphics artist.
He lives in Auckland, New Zealand.
