WELLINGTON, July 1 (Xinhua) -- New Zealanders are being invited to submit a badge design for the Royal New Zealand Navy's (RNZN) newest and largest-ever ship, HMNZS Aotearoa.
"This is a unique opportunity for all New Zealanders to play a part in how their ship will be presented to the world," Minister of Defence Mark Mitchell said in a release on Saturday.
"It's a chance for Kiwis to create an enduring piece of Navy history," Mitchell said.
The competition to design a badge for HMNZS Aotearoa, which is scheduled to be added to the RNZN fleet in January 2020, begins on Saturday.
Aotearoa will be the Navy's new maritime sustainment vessel and fleet tanker, replacing HMNZS Endeavour, and will also enhance combat operational capability, provide humanitarian aid and disaster relief and support monitoring operations in the Southern Ocean, Mitchell said.
A Navy ship's badge reflects the name of a ship and the role it performs. It needs to be simple yet striking. The competition will close on Dec. 1, he said.
The winning design will be selected by the Chief of Navy, Rear Admiral John Martin, and announced on Waitangi Day next year.
The winner will be presented with the finished and mounted badge of Aotearoa and will also get a tour of the Devonport Naval Base and have a sea ride around the harbor on a Navy ship, Mitchell said, adding that once the Navy takes delivery of Aotearoa, the winner will also spend a night on the ship on a leg of her New Zealand sea trials.
