The flag of New Zealand (), also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensigna blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corneraugmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.
New Zealand's first internationally accepted national flag, the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, was adopted in 1834, six years before New Zealand's separation from New South Wales and creation as a separate colony following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840. Chosen by an assembly of Māori chiefs at Waitangi in 1834, the flag was of a St George's Cross with another cross in the canton containing four stars on a blue field. After the formation of the colony in 1840, British ensigns began to be used. The current flag was designed and adopted for use on the colony's ships in 1869, was quickly adopted as New Zealand's national flag, and given statutory recognition in 1902.
For several decades there has been debate about changing the flag. In 2016, a two-stage binding referendum on a flag change took place with voting on the second final stage closing on 24 March. In this referendum, the country voted to keep the existing flag by 57% to 43%.
Design
Devices
The flag of New Zealand uses two prominent symbols: The Union Jack (or Union Flag) The Southern Cross (or Crux)
In its original usage as the flag of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Union Jack combined three heraldic crosses which represent the countries of the United Kingdom (as constituted in 1801): The red St George's Cross of England The white diagonal St Andrew's Cross of Scotland The red diagonal St Patrick's Cross of Ireland
The Union Jack reflects New Zealand's origins as a British colony.
The Southern Cross constellation is one of the striking features of the Southern Hemisphere sky, and has been used to represent New Zealand, among other Southern Hemisphere colonies, since the early days of European settlement. Additionally, in Māori mythology the Southern Cross is identified as Māhutonga, an aperture in Te Ikaroa (the Milky Way) through which storm winds escaped.
Specifications
The flag should be rectangular in shape and its length should be two times its width, translating into an aspect ratio of 1:2. It has a royal blue background with a Union Jack in the canton, and four five-pointed red stars centred within four five-pointed white stars on the fly (outer or right-hand side). The exact colours are specified as Pantone 186 C (red), Pantone 280 C (blue), and white. According to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the government department responsible for the flag, the royal blue background is "reminiscent of the blue sea and sky surrounding us", and the stars "signify [New Zealand's] place in the South Pacific Ocean". The New Zealand Government history website states: "Its royal blue background is derived from the ensign of the Blue Squadron of the Royal Navy."
The notice that appeared in the New Zealand Gazette on 27 June 1902 gave a technical description of the stars and their positions on the New Zealand Ensign:
History
Early flags of New Zealand
There is no recorded flag culture among the Māori before Europeans introduced them to New Zealand. By the early 1800s, flags had become an important part of Māori culture. During this time, some Māori attached fern leaves or traditional woven cloth, such as paki, to their ships when participating in international trade. These are considered by some to be the first flags of New Zealand.
In 1830, the trading ship Sir George Murray, built in the Hokianga, sailed to the port of Sydney flying a kaitaka flag. The ship was seized by customs officials in the port who deemed the cloth not to meet the British navigation laws requiring ships to fly national ensigns. Among the passengers on the ship were two high-ranking Māori chiefs, believed to be Patuone and Taonui. The ship's detention was reported as arousing indignation among the Māori population.
The Murray was sold at auction to Thomas McDonnell who flew a St. George's cross with a blue canton charged with a half moon from the ship. This flag was described by the Sydney Herald as 'the New Zealand colours', though they may have been simply McDonnell's house flag.