The Journey
The Beginning
This is the story of a journey – the journey of New Zealand’s athletes as they prepare to wear the Olympic Rings and Silver Fern and represent New Zealand at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. It is also the story of a nation that gathers to support and inspire these athletes.
The starlit darkness high above New Zealand marks the beginning of the journey and symbolises the iconic black singlet, emblazoned with the silver fern, which has been worn for generations by New Zealand’s Olympians and sporting heroes.
In this night sky sits Te Mahutonga, the constellation of the Southern Cross, a symbol of New Zealand’s place in the Pacific.
As the journey commences, the darkness begins to form a long ribbon which weaves its way throughout the motu (land), gathering inspiration and support for our athletes from the people of New Zealand.
It travels across the green of New Zealand’s islands, its majestic maunga (mountains), native forests and rolling hills and over the pounamu (greenstone) that lies beneath. It is pounamu that is the precious taonga (gift) which is made for each member of the New Zealand Olympic Team and, in Māori mythology, it is this pounamu which links the heavens to the earth – the night sky to Aotearoa.
Floating above the green of the land lies the white of the clouds after which our land is named - Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud. As the people of Aotearoa, we are brought together to be a proud nation forged through a spirit of partnership and respect between peoples.
As a nation, we have been inspired by what we have achieved, undertaken with our characteristic spirit of resourcefulness, determination, modesty and a touch of humour.
The ribbon continues its journey and as it travels it also unites our athletes. Its path runs along New Zealand’s winding roads, through its fields, lakes and harbours. These are the training grounds where our athletes prepare their minds and bodies for the challenging journey ahead.
As we leave the land and travel across the blue and turquoise waters of the Pacific the ribbon begins to take on the life-force of the athletes and we see representations of their speed, strength, endurance and accuracy as they prepare for competition.
Our athletes are now in prime condition, they are prepared, focused and ready to excel. But it is not just skill that will enable them to achieve at Rio 2016. Our athletes also bring with them pride in their country and team and respect for the Olympic Games, their competitors and the people of Brazil, the host nation.
We arrive in Rio and are met by the bright colours of the city, reflecting the magic of Carnival and the vibrancy of Rio’s lush tropical landscape, the brightly coloured houses and the city’s vibrant street art. Rio lives and breathes under the open arms of Christ the Redeemer, high on Corcovado, the symbol of the Ciudade Maravilhosa.
Looking up, we see the Southern Cross is still with us.
The scene is now set. We are ready to make our mark on 
the world, and be the inspiration for all New Zealanders.