New Zealanders to vote for our backcountry flag

While the government spends $26m deciding whether or not to change the national flag, a flag competition costing the taxpayer precisely nothing is now down to a public vote.

Six designs for New Zealand’s flag of the backcountry have been selected by a panel of judges. Now the public have until October 5th to decide which design best represents Aotearoa’s wilderness areas. The winning design will be flown from the top of Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Two months ago, Wilderness magazine readers were asked to design flags they would be proud to hold high when fighting a cause that champions conservation and recreation in New Zealand’s wild areas.

We received scores of entries, which were narrowed down to the final six by a panel of four well-known outdoors folk, including Jamie Fitzgerald (TVNZ’s First Crossings and Intrepid NZ presenter), Graeme Dingle (founder of Hillary Outdoors and the Foundation for Youth Development) and Lani Evans (among the first all-female team to traverse the length of the Southern Alps).

“It wasn’t just the high quality of entries that delighted us, but the thought, passion and time that went into each entry,” said Wilderness editor Alistair Hall, who was the fourth judge on the panel.

“I reckon just about all New Zealanders are proud to have such a diverse and stunning range of natural landscapes on our doorstep, and Kiwis have shown time and again we’d fight tooth and nail to keep it.

“This passion is certainly reflected in the quality of designs we’ve received. I’m proud of what the readers have contributed here and I’m very excited to see which design the public will vote for.”

To vote visit http://bit.ly/1OAEbAV

ENDS

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