The campaign "Making Us Proud" was officially launched the New Zealand Olympic Committee's (NZOC) Chef de Mission Dave Currie at a function in Auckland attended by Olympic gold medallists Sir Murray Halberg, Sir Russell Coutts, Rob Waddell, Danyon Loader and Sarah Ulmer.

"New Zealand has a proud Olympic history, but we also have incredible success in the arts, business, music and science," Currie said.

"This campaign is about making our athletes proud and inspiring them to succeed.

"We will do this by asking New Zealanders to tell us when they were most proud to be a New Zealander."

The NZOC has already signed some famous Kiwis on to be part of the campaign, including Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.

"To know that you come from a proud nation with a history of achievement gives you an edge," said cyclist Ulmer, who won a gold medal in the individual pursuit at the Athens Olympics in 2004. 

"Athletes will draw on our success as a country as they prepare to compete at the London Olympic Games."

The campaign is represented by a mark featuring a fern and the letters NZ.

Its design was inspired by the New Zealand Olympic team blazer worn by New Zealand's seven athletes at the London Olympic Games in 1948, where the team failed to win a medal.

To help launch the new campaign replica London black cab was driven round Auckland by Loader, the former swimmer who won the 200 and 400 metres freestyle at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

"Our new campaign is exciting and will make New Zealanders proud," said Currie.

"The approach is very different to anything we've done before and we're looking forward to Kiwis being part of it."

As part of the campaign, New Zealanders will be asked to help choose a team anthem for the London Olympic Games, take part in designing the uniform, cheer the team on at Olympic live sites in New Zealand and compete to win the chance to welcome the team home with an official parade.

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