The logo of
Air New Zealand, the
national carrier, incorporates a
koru design — based on the Ngaru (
Ngāti Kahungunu)
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. The
New Zealand Police use their own adaptions of the koru, the police koru is used in all version of the police logo. According to police "the koru is a reference to te ao Māori and a celebration of Aotearoa New Zealand’s unique heritage. Its connotations of encapsulation, protection and peace align with our values as an organisation and reiterate New Zealand Police’s commitment to Māori." Many parts of the police koru are used to symbiose police values such as the 8° angle which represents the continuous forward momentum police strive for and the flat or 'sharp' bottom, which represents the solid foundations of Police. The
New Zealand national korfball team is nicknamed
The Korus. ==References==