science

Lockwood silver fern flag

Lockwood silver fern flag is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Lockwood silver fern flag rather than just read about it. In short: 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.

Key takeaways

Lockwood silver fern flag belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Lockwood silver fern flag to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Lockwood silver fern flag from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

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.

Design and symbolism The design of the flag combines the silver fern flag (toward the hoist) with the stars of the current national flag. The silver fern frond is a popular symbol of the people of New Zealand, while the stellar constellation known as the Southern Cross represents the antipodean location of the country in the Southern Hemisphere. The multiple pinnates on the silver fern leaf represent New Zealand's multicultural society, a single fern spreading upwards representing one people growing into the future. Black, white, and red are the national colours of New Zealand traditionally associated with the Māori people; while blue is dominant in the current national flag and symbolises the South Pacific Ocean.

History The original 2000 sketch design used black in the upper left corner, and the first prototype design used red in the upper left corner, and a darker shade of blue for the main part of the flag. The blue represented the ocean, the red represented Māori and also sacrifices during wartime, and the white of the fern is a reference to the "Land of the Long White Cloud" (translated from the Māori "Aotearoa"). This design was first published by Lockwood in 2003, and won a competition in July 2004 run by The Hutt News. The flag appeared on Campbell Live in 2004 and won an online poll that included the present national flag. Lockwood has produced the flag in several of colour combinations and designs, including more and fewer fern fronds. Some New Zealanders believe that the current New Zealand flag is a reminder of British colonialism and does not truly represent their culture; however, those who support the current flag say that it represents the history of the country as a part of the British Empire and location in the Southern Hemisphere.

Lockwood's winning entry in the New Zealand flag referendum had black instead of red, and a brighter shade of blue. This design is John Key's preferred proposal. The original red design was criticised on aesthetic grounds by Hamish Keith, Paul Henry and John Oliver. The New Zealand Herald writer Karl Puschmann called it a design for those "sitting on the fence" who didn't want much change. Members of the public had also compared it unfavourably to Weet-Bix packaging, or a merger of the Labour and National party logos. It was also likened to the design of a beach towel. However, Lockwood pointed out that most national flags were made into beach towels. The Royal New Zealand Air Forces 3 Squadron complained that the flag was a copyright violation of their 2010 insignia until the Air Force discovered that Lockwood's flag preceded their insignia by many years. Prominent New Zealanders, including former Governor General Dame Catherine Tizard, All Black Dan Carter, Olympian Ian Fergusson, cricketing great Sir Richard Hadlee, Olympic athlete Sir Peter Snell, Mahe Drysdale, and former All Black captain Richie McCaw came out in support of the alternative design. After the 2015 Rugby World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand in Twickenham, England, Richie McCaw said "Running out at Twickenham and seeing the two flags looking so similar. The silver fern has always been the special symbol on the All Black jersey that represents who we are as kiwis, so the new flag with a silver fern as a part of it would be a great option I believe." On the subject of flag change Dame Cath Tizard said "We don't wear the clothes of a century ago or drive around today in Model T Fords. Our present flag served a young post-colonial country well, but the time has come to consider a change which more appropriately recognises our changed identity and confidence in ourselves." After the second referendum, the flag continued to make appearances in the International media. In the first New Zealand cricket test against Zimbabwe on 28 July 2016, the flag was featured in the opening graphics sequence, The flag is also seen flying from flagpoles around New Zealand, Kip Colvey a prominent US/NZ football player, appeared in Fairfax media on 26 December 2016, in front of the flag. Lockwood's silver fern design features in the livery of the 'Electron' rocket in Rocket Lab's New Zealand space program, The first Electron rocket was scheduled to launch in late 2016. The silver fern design will also feature in the Orewa Walk of Fame in Auckland which was scheduled to be dedicated in September 2016.

Versions Five versions of Lockwood's flag were included in the Flag Consideration Panel's long list for the referendums. Two of them, the original red, white and blue and the winning black, white and blue versions, reached the short list of four (later five) flags.

Other versions

Service flags with the Lockwood silver fern flag New service flags were proposed for New Zealand following the Lockwood Silver Fern Flag. The option of changing these flags was not, however, included in the referendum.

See also Hundertwasser koru flag List of New Zealand flags

References

External links

Official flag referendum entry Archived 22 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Silverfernflag.org lobby website

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Lockwood silver fern flag

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Lockwood silver fern flag claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Lockwood silver fern flag before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Lockwood silver fern flag ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Lockwood silver fern flag

In research: Lockwood silver fern flag appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Lockwood silver fern flag in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Lockwood silver fern flag is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2003 establishments in New Zealand, Blue Ensigns, Flags introduced in 2003, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Lockwood silver fern flag outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Lockwood silver fern flag in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Lockwood silver fern flag means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Lockwood silver fern flag out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lockwood silver fern flag in simple terms?

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.

Why does Lockwood silver fern flag matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Lockwood silver fern flag?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Lockwood silver fern flag.