New Zealand flag change.
10 PHOTOS
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The current flag New Zealand was designed and adopted for use on Colonial ships since 1869. Then after an Imperial statute it became New Zealand's national flag in 1902.
The flag of New Zealand is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the canton, and four red stars with white borders to the right.
The royal blue background is reminiscent of the blue sea and sky surrounding New Zealand. The stars of the Southern Cross signify the place of the country in the South Pacific Ocean. The Union Flag reminds that New Zealand was once a British colony and dominion.
In New Zealand for quite a long time continue arguments about necessity of changing the flag.
Arguments for change
Proponents for change argue that:
• The national flag is too similar to the flag of Australia and the two are often confused.
• As a derivative of the Blue Ensign, it does not represent New Zealand's current status as an independent, sovereign nation.
• The national flag exclusively acknowledges those of British heritage whilst ignoring New Zealand's Maori population and other ethnic groups.
Arguments against change
• The financial cost of changing the flag is quite significant. It is expected to cost the New Zealand government more than 27m New Zealand dollars (£11m; $17mUSD),
• Most of New Zealanders feel attached to the flag as it has been part of the country's history. Generations of New Zealanders have fought and died under the current flag. All poll results from 2014 show that a large majority of the public are opposed to changing the flag.
• The flag is already representative of New Zealand. The Union Jack in the flag represents New Zealand's strong past and present ties to the United Kingdom and its history as a part of the British Empire, and the Southern Cross represents its location in the South Pacific.
The New Zealand Parliament has scheduled a two-stage binding referendum on potential flag change to take place in 2015 and 2016. New Zealanders will have the chance to choose their favourite design among four alternatives in a postal referendum this year, between 20 November and 11 December. After that in March or April 2016 another referendum will be held to decide whether to replace the existing flag with the winner.
| The national flag of New Zealand |
| Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue) Designed by: Kyle Lockwood Flag Description. The dominant feature of this flag is a white fern frond that sweeps up diagonally from the bottom left corner to the right of the top centre. The left side of the fern is sitting on a black background. To the right of the fern there are four stars in the formation of the Southern Cross constellation, sitting on a blue background. Each star is red with a white border, and has five points. The silver fern: A New Zealand icon for over 160 years, worn proudly by many generations. The fern is an element of indigenous flora representing the growth of our nation. The multiple points of the fern leaf represent Aotearoa’s peaceful multicultural society, a single fern spreading upwards represents that we are all one people growing onward into the future. The bright blue represents the clear atmosphere of the country and the Pacific Ocean. The Southern Cross represents the geographic location of New Zealand. The Southern Cross constellation has been used as a navigational aid for centuries and it helped guide early settlers to New Zealand islands. |
| Fern - a distinctive symbol of New Zealand |
| Koru Designed by Andrew Fyfe Flag Description: The right half of this flag is black. At the halfway point of the flag the black forms a koru on a white background. The black koru spirals down and to the left from the top of the flag. As the flag unfurls, so too does its koru. The koru represents the fern frond, but is also reminiscent of a wave, a cloud, and a ram’s horn. In Maori kowhaiwhai patterns the koru represent new life, growth, strength and peace, and for this reason has taken a special place in Aotearoa’s visual language. |
| Fern - symbol of New Zealand |
| Silver Fern (Red, White and Blue) Designed by: Kyle Lockwood FlagDescription: The dominant feature of this flag is a white fern frond that sweeps up diagonally from the bottom left corner to the right of the top centre. The left side of the fern is sitting on a red background. To the right of the fern there are four stars in the formation of the Southern Cross constellation, sitting on a blue background. Each star is red with a white border, and has five points. The silver fern: A New Zealand icon for over 160 years, worn proudly by many generations. The fern is an element of indigenous flora representing the growth of the nation. The multiple points of the fern leaf represent Aotearoa’s peaceful multicultural society, a single fern spreading upwards represents that New Zealanders are all one people growing onward into the future. The red represents the countries heritage and sacrifices made. Blue represents New Zealand clear atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean, over which all New Zealanders, or their ancestors, crossed to get here. The Southern Cross represents the geographic location of New Zealand. The Southern Cross constellation has been used as a navigational aid for centuries and it helped guide early settlers to New Zealand islands. |
| Fern |
| Silver Fern (Black & White) Designed by Alofi Kanter Flag Description: The dominant feature of this flag is a black and white fern frond. The fern frond sweeps diagonally up from the bottom left corner to the top right corner of the flag. The leaves and the stem on the top side of the fern are black on a white background. The leaves and the stem on the bottom side are white on a black background. The fern has been a distinctive symbol of New Zealand for the past 100 years. Strong and simple, it represents our uniqueness as Aotearoa New Zealand and the black and white colours show our ‘yin and yang’, with the softly curved spine of the frond binding us all together as a young, independent and proud nation. |
| Fern - a distinctive symbol of New Zealand |
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