Keeping Antarctica green

New Zealanders have voted to keep Scott Base the same green it has been since 1965.

The iconic colour received 4514 votes from the 10,830 Kiwis and honorary penguins that made the choice between green, orange and blue.

Orange — or rescue orange as it was dubbed by supporters keen to keep people safe and save the planet — came second with 3742 votes, then blue with
2574 votes.

The vote allowed our Antarctic community and New Zealanders to be part of the design process during the Scott Base Redevelopment, which will see the current, aging buildings replaced with a fit-for-purpose base powered by 97 percent renewable energy. This means supporting science there for another 50+ years.

“The colour will link two eras of New Zealand science,” said project director Jon Ager. “The special connection that Kiwis have with Scott Base has been abundantly clear during the vote. We will move towards construction knowing people are behind us and, one day, everyone that voted will be able to say: I helped to shape Scott Base.”

Who voted?
The vote opened during an Antarctica-themed Science Week in primary schools, which saw classrooms talking to the Scott Base overwintering crew, learning from polar scientists and undertaking their own experiments.

Votes came in from the length of the country but it was Canterbury — home of the Antarctic Gateway city of Christchurch, and Timaru where the new base will be built — which rallied around the vote, with 2475 people having their say about the colour of Scott Base.

Not far behind, 2037 people adopted Antarctica as their postcode; Auckland contributed 2021 votes, Wellington 1432, Waikato 556 and Otago 546 votes.

PHOTO CREDITS:
Antarctica New Zealand and Anthony Powell.

Concept drawings:
Hugh Broughton Architects