Ka hinga atu he tete-kura - Ka hara-mai he tete-kura.
As one fern frond dies, one is born to take its place.
__


In reflection we find a sense of history, a sense of place, a sense of who we are. Here, now, let us remember those who went before us, whose sacrifices gave us life. We are the children of the Fallen - we stand on their shoulders.

The people of Aotearoa, New Zealand are fronds of the same fern. Our story is our Whakapapa, our ancestry, our genealogy. We pass life and all we have learned from one generation to the next. Our roots, anchored deep in earth, bind us to this land, Papatūānuku, while our children reach out to the stars.

The Silver Fern symbolises this unity, a source of strength, Mana and pride. The fern has adorned the chests of our nation’s greatest heroes in times of conflict and peace. Within the Crest, two Silver Ferns come together to celebrate our bicultural foundation and to honour the Tāngata Whenua, the people of the Land.

A single stem unites them like the backbone of our country.

This shared backbone is our collective story, the building of who we are, generation by generation, frond by frond, in the past, in the present, and on into the future. On each leaf a Koru unfurls, marking the beginning of new life, new hope. The crest symbolises our journey and our unity.

Celebrate our Fallen, our Tupuna. Honour them with Peace.


__

Working in collaboration with Urban Logic, Long White Cloud was involved in developing the iconic Biculltural Emblem featured on the New Zealand War Memorial Water Feature and developing 'Our Story' as shown above.

Photography by Simon Devitt