A silver fern, not a feather
(David's column wasn't published by a major newspaper in time for the Flag Consideration Panel's 1 September decision of four flag designs that will be voted on in the first referendum.)
(Clockwise from top left) An early silver fern design, a silver fern leaf, a common plant fern, a white feather, an acacia stem, and a kowhai (Maori for yellow) stem.
If New Zealand is to choose a new flag with a silver fern, can we at least make sure it IS a silver fern?
My ancestor, Thomas Ellison, was the first New Zealand rugby captain and he was instrumental with the design of the silver fern on an ‘all black’ uniform.
Thomas first toured Britain in 1888 and 1889 as part of the New Zealand Native Rugby team. That was the first New Zealand representative side of any sport to tour the mother country. They chose a black jersey with a silver fern on the chest.
Great effort was taken with the design of the silver fern. In Victorian England, the silver fern was sought after by botanists for its unique qualities. Any design therefore had to be so distinctive and identifiable as a silver fern that it couldn’t be confused with any other type of fern or a white feather – the symbol of cowardice.
The silver fern is unique due to two elements: the colour of the reverse side and its pinnates – its botanical divisions. A silver fern has three degrees of scale – its branches, leafs, and leaflets – each containing a similar shape but in different proportions. Those closely grouped pinna are almost symmetrical.
Maori marvelled at the artistry of nature. The maturing and unfurling fern has been adapted onto wood carvings as a koru. The huia feather’s white-tipped black feather is the symbol of rank and mana.
If we are to recognise our history and use national symbols, we must at least go to the effort to get them right.
Dave Clark’s All Black redesign of the silver fern resembles a white feather. Sven Baker and Alofi Kanter’s silver fern is an acacia or kowhai (Maori for ‘yellow’) leaf. Kyle Lockwood’s silver fern is a generic plant fern that can be found on every continent.
I can understand various representative bodies adapting the silver fern for their brand. I saw a silver fern shape made out of oars to represent a national rowing team, which is understandable. But having a silver fern design on a national flag that bears little resemblance to an actual silver fern is just sloppy.
Imagine if the Canadian flag had a maple leaf that looked more like an oak leaf. It is a travesty that New Zealanders seem so apathetic about putting a generic fern on our flag.
Also, it has often been overlooked why a silver fern appears white on a black background. A silver fern reflected the moonlight for warriors trekking through the bush. The guiding light of the white glow contrasted with the dark of the night.
The silver fern is also a symbol of welcome and belonging. It is often waved to greet visitors onto a marae and worn on the head at tangi.
The silver fern is our laurel leaf, which British and other European cultures incorporate in their heraldry. Black is the mutual colour of respect and status. Hence, to Maori and Europeans, the silver fern and black are mutually recognized and unifying.
The significance of the silver fern and colour black synergised to become our national symbol. The two work together and must work together.
So, to me, any suggestion of a mish-mash of symbols and colours to water down the combination of these two powerful icons is ignorant and insulting.
To add further insult, the Flag Consideration Panel overlooked the one design that bothered to research history and botany. The designers respectfully consulted with me and other Maori, botanists, academics and historians.
That design is The Black & Silver. It is largely based on the ribbon and medal of the New Zealand War Service Medal, which all returned servicemen from the Second World War received. That medal’s design resonated with soldiers and, in many ways, those soldiers earned our nationhood when we gained independence from Britain soon after their return.
That medal had a white, black, white striped ribbon, based on the two huia feathers that Maori of mana wore in their hair. The medal contained a silver fern at centre stage.
The Black & Silver flag’s fern is a stylized version of the original silver fern designed by Thomas Ellison. It is simple, elegant, and undeniably a silver fern.
During the period that the panel considers what final four flag designs are chosen, I fear that they will again overlook what makes New Zealand and its icons so unique.
We have a proud heritage worth defending. That’s why I see it as my role to guard those icons from being insulted. I have become the kaitiaki (guardian) of the Black & Silver.
- David Ellison is a Kai Tahu upoko and retired soldier and educator.