New Zealander Andy Florkowski of RCG has been named among four other winners of the Dulux DIAlogue on Tour design scholarship programme. All five participants will travel to Tokyo and Los Angeles in late August 2018 to gather design inspiration and bring back a fresh perspective. 

The DIAlogue on Tour programme is backed by the Designers Institute of New Zealand (DINZ), the Design Institute of Australia and Dulux. Organisers say the scholarship aims to promote the exchange of ideas and insights across cultures and disciplines. 

Andy said, “I nearly didn’t put a submission forward because I knew the calibre of entries would be incredibly high and there would be a lot of competition – I’m glad I did! It’s humbling to be selected as an ambassador for Dulux and DINZ. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity which I will not only embrace, I will also champion New Zealand and our design community as best I can.” He says he is intrigued to see how Japan merges the old with the new when he travels there later this year.

CEO of the Designers Institute of New Zealand, Cathy Veninga, said of the New Zealand ambassador, “Andy Florkowski will bring three guiding principles to the Tour – Aroha, respect and openness; Pono, being present and sincere; and Tika, being honest.”

“Dulux DIAlogue on Tour is a very special opportunity for the winning designers to not only enrich their own understanding of design within another culture, but also with their colleagues on tour. As they get to know each other, they will draw out of each other design conversations of incredible depth,” Veninga continued.

Andy will be joined by four Australian winners: Amanda Henderson, Daniel Dalla Riva, Cushla McFadden and Sarah-Jane Pyke.

See more about Dulux DIAlogue on Tour here.