The koru ( Māori for 'loop or coil') [1] is a spiral shape evoking a newly unfurling frond from a silver fern frond. [2] It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. [3] Its shape "conveys the idea of perpetual movement," while the inner coil "suggests returning to the point of origin". [3]
The koru is the integral motif of the symbolic and seemingly abstract kōwhaiwhai designs traditionally used to decorate wharenui (meeting houses). There are numerous semi-formal designs, representing different features of the natural world. [4]
The logo of Air New Zealand, the national carrier, incorporates a koru design — based on the Ngaru (Ngāti Kahungunu) [5] kōwhaiwhai pattern — as a symbol of New Zealand flora. The logo was introduced in 1973 to coincide with the arrival of the airline's first McDonnell Douglas DC-10 wide-body jet. Several other nationwide organisations also use a koru in their logos, among them the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
In 1983, Friedensreich Hundertwasser based his proposed design for a secondary New Zealand flag on the symbol. It also formed the basis for a notable series of artworks by Gordon Walters. Koru swirls are also reminiscent of the Tomoe symbol in Japan. [6]
The New Zealand national korfball team is nicknamed The Korus. [7]
Māori culture is the customs, cultural practices, and beliefs of the Māori people of New Zealand. It originated from, and is still part of, Eastern Polynesian culture. Māori culture forms a distinctive part of New Zealand culture and, due to a large diaspora and the incorporation of Māori motifs into popular culture, it is found throughout the world. Within Māoridom, and to a lesser extent throughout New Zealand as a whole, the word Māoritanga is often used as an approximate synonym for Māori culture, the Māori-language suffix -tanga being roughly equivalent to the qualitative noun-ending -ness in English. Māoritanga has also been translated as "[a] Māori way of life." The term kaupapa, meaning the guiding beliefs and principles which act as a base or foundation for behaviour, is also widely used to refer to Māori cultural values.
The flag of New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.
Alsophila tricolor, synonym Cyathea dealbata, commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga, is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand. The fern is usually recognisable by the silver-white colour of the under-surface of mature fronds. It is a symbol commonly associated with the country both overseas and by New Zealanders themselves.
Gordon Frederick Walters was a Wellington-born artist and graphic designer who is significant to New Zealand culture due to his representation of New Zealand in his Modern Abstract artworks.
New Zealand art consists of the visual and plastic arts originating from New Zealand and comes from different traditions: indigenous Māori art and that brought here including from early European mostly British settlers.
The black, white and blue silver fern flag is a proposed flag for New Zealand by architectural designer Kyle Lockwood. It was first designed using different colours in 2000. It was voted as the preferred alternative New Zealand flag in the first of two New Zealand flag referendums in December 2015, and was used in the second flag referendum in a binding contest against the current New Zealand flag. Despite a UMR poll predicting that the flag would earn only 35% of the vote, the Silver Fern Flag gained a significant minority in the March 2016 referendum with 43.2% of the vote, whilst the existing flag won with 56.6% of the vote.
The New Zealand flag debate is a question over whether the national flag should be changed. For several decades, alternative designs have been proposed, with varying degrees of support. There is no consensus among proponents of changing the flag as to which design should replace the current one. Common criticisms of the existing form of the New Zealand flag are its similarity to the Australian flag and the inappropriateness of retaining the Union Jack in the design. A series of polls conducted since the 1970s have shown that a majority of New Zealanders prefer the current flag.
Ōpōtiki College is a state secondary school located in Ōpōtiki, in the Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand.
Clifford Hamilton Whiting was a New Zealand artist, teacher and advocate for Māori heritage.
Toi whakairo or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone.
The Manaia is a mythological creature in Māori culture, and is a common motif in Māori carving and jewellery.
Tukutuku panelling is a distinctive art form of the Māori people of New Zealand, a traditional latticework used to decorate meeting houses (Wharenui). Other names are Tuitui and Arapaki. Tukutuku flank the posts around the edge of the wharenui, the posts are usually carved and represent ancestors. The patterns of tukutuku have symbolic meanings.
Darryn George is a New Zealand artist based in Christchurch.
Wayne Youle is a New Zealand artist of Ngāpuhi, Ngati Whakaeke and Ngati Pākehā descent. His bicultural heritage is reflected in his work, addressing issues of identity, race and the commodification of cultural symbols. He often uses humour to make his point. Youle's work is held in national museums and public galleries. He lives and works in Amberley, New Zealand.
Rongomaraeroa is the marae of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa and incorporates a contemporary wharenuiTe Hono ki Hawaiki. It is located on the museum's 4th floor overlooking Wellington harbour, and was officially opened on 30 November 1997.
The national Māori flag, also known as the Tino Rangatiratanga flag in reference to the concept of tino rangatiratanga, is used to represent the Māori people of New Zealand (Aotearoa). In 2009, the Tino Rangatiratanga flag was selected as the national Māori flag after a nationwide consultation. It was first revealed on Waitangi Day in 1990. Though it does not have official status from the New Zealand Government, it has been used by the government on official occasions.
National symbols of New Zealand are used to represent what is unique about the nation, reflecting different aspects of its cultural life and history.
Nigel John Floyd Borell is a New Zealand Māori artist, museum curator, and Māori art advocate. He curated the exhibition Toi Tū Toi Ora: Contemporary Māori Art at the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki in 2020, the largest exhibition since they opened. In 2021 the Art Foundation of New Zealand created an award to acknowledge the work of Borrell in this exhibition.
The flag now known as the flag of theUnited Tribes of New Zealand or Te Kara is a flag originally designed by Henry Williams to represent the New Zealand Church Missionary Society. It was adopted as a national flag by a group of rangatira in 1834 and is today more closely associated with the Māori people.
John Bevan Ford was a New Zealand Māori artist and educator who started exhibiting in 1966. He is a leading figure in contemporary Māori art with art held in all large public collections of New Zealand. In 2005 Ford received the Creative New Zealand Te Waka Toi Kingi Ihaka Award.
