Flag of New Zealand

in Wellington Devices Flags of the Union Jack.svg| Southern Cross (New Zealand).svg| 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 , an aperture in (the Milky Way) through which storm winds escaped. 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 Māori did not have flags until Europeans introduced them to New Zealand, when they quickly adopted them and made them part of their culture. Some Māori attached traditional woven cloth, such as paki, to their ships when participating in international trade. The trading ship Sir George Murray, built at Horeke in the Hokianga and bought by Thomas McDonnell in 1831, later that year flew a flag of St George's cross with a blue canton charged with a half moon. The Sydney Herald called the flag "the New Zealand colours", but it may have just been McDonnell's house flag. This flag became known as the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand and was officially gazetted in New South Wales in August 1835, with a general description not mentioning fimbriation or the number of points on the stars. The United Tribes' flag is still flown on the flag pole at Waitangi, and can be seen on Waitangi Day. New Māori flag. Te Kara gained a resurgence in use from the 1970s to the turn of the 21st century, in conjunction with the modern Māori protest movement. Union Jack cutting down the flagstaff flying the Union Jack at Kororāreka, 1844 After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, the Union Jack was used, although the former United Tribes flag was still used by a number of ships from New Zealand and in many cases on land. The New Zealand Company settlement at Wellington, for example, continued to use the United Tribes flag until Governor William Hobson sent a small armed force to Wellington in May 1840 (following his declaration of British sovereignty). The Union Jack, as a symbol of British authority, became the focus of the Flagstaff War which began in 1844, marking (according to some historians) the start of the New Zealand Wars. The Union Jack was described as the "superior flag", to be flown above the New Zealand flag prior to 1965. Flags based on defaced Blue Ensign During the Invasion of the Waikato (July 1863 – April 1864) period of the New Zealand Wars the British forces realised they needed access to colonial ships to fight Māori. The colonial government subsequently acquired vessels which were staffed by Royal Navy officers. The vessels were under local and not Admiralty control. An armed ship, Victoria, owned by the Colony of Victoria transported reinforcements to New Zealand for the campaign and took part in bombardments of Māori. The British government was concerned about its colonies developing their own navies, not under the control of the Royal Navy's Admiralty. This led to the British parliament passing the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865, which allowed the colonial governments to own ships, including for military purposes, under the provision that they would have to be under the Royal Navy's command. In 1866 the British Admiralty advised colonies that if they possessed vessels governed by the Act, they must fly the Royal Navy Blue Ensign but that they must also include on the flag the seal or badge of the colony. New Zealand did not have a colonial badge, or indeed a coat of arms of its own at this stage, and so in 1867 the letters "NZ" were simply added to the blue ensign, following a decree by Governor George Grey on 15 January 1867. , designer of the flag of New Zealand In 1869 the then First Lieutenant of the Royal Navy vessel Blanche, Albert Hastings Markham, submitted a design to Sir George Bowen, the Governor of New Zealand, for a national ensign for New Zealand. This followed a request by Bowen to Markham to come up with a new flag design, following a request to Bowen from the Colonial Office. His proposal, incorporating the Southern Cross, was approved on 23 October 1869. It was initially to be used only on government ships. To end confusion between various designs of the flag, New Zealand's Liberal Government passed the New Zealand Ensign Act 1901, which was approved by King Edward VII on 24 March 1902. Flown in battle One of the first recorded accounts of the New Zealand Blue Ensign flag being flown in battle was at Quinn's Post, Gallipoli, in 1915. It was not flown officially. The flag was brought back to New Zealand by Private John Taylor, Canterbury Battalion. The first time the flag of New Zealand was flown in a naval battle and the first time officially in any battle, was from HMS Achilles during the Battle of the River Plate in 1939. == Flag law and protocol ==

on the day of the death of Sir Edmund Hillary The Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981 governs the usage of the national flag and all other official flags. Section 5(2) of the act declares the flag to be "the symbol of the Realm, Government, and people of New Zealand". Section 11(1) outlines two offences: altering the flag without lawful authority, and using, displaying, damaging or destroying the flag in or within view of a public place with the intention of dishonouring it. In its advisory role, the Ministry for Culture and Heritage has issued guidelines to assist persons in their use of the flag. No permission is needed to fly the flag, and it may be flown on every day of the year—government and public buildings with flagpoles are especially encouraged to fly the flag during working hours. However, it should never be flown in a dilapidated condition. From November 1941 to October 1984 the Ceremony of Honouring the Flag Regulations 1941 required state schools to commemorate Waitangi, Anzac, Empire, King's birthday, Trafalgar, Armistice and Dominion Days. In 1984 the cost of flags and poles was estimated to be $340,000. Unlike some countries there is no single official "Flag Day" in New Zealand. The flag is flown at half-mast in New Zealand—always at the discretion of the minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage—to indicate a period of mourning. Notable occasions on which the flag was half-masted include: the death of former prime minister David Lange, the death and state funeral of mountaineer Sir Edmund Hillary and the death of Queen Elizabeth II. When the flag is flown at half-mast, it should be lowered to a position recognisably at half-mast to avoid the appearance of a flag which has accidentally fallen away from the top of the flagpole; the flag should be at least its own height from the top of the flagpole. == Debate ==

(pictured), since they are similar in design. With the Union Jack in its upper left-hand quarter, the flag still proclaims New Zealand's origins as a British colony. Some New Zealanders believe a new flag would better reflect the country's independence, while others argue that the design represents New Zealand's strong past and present ties to the United Kingdom and its history as a part of the British Empire. Relatedly, debate about changing the flag has often arisen in connection with the issue of republicanism in New Zealand. The Southern Cross constellation is depicted on other flags, such as the flag of Australia—although in Australia's case there are five all-white stars and an additional larger star beneath the Union Jack canton, while New Zealand's four stars have red centres. The similar flags of Australia and New Zealand are often mistaken for each other, and this confusion was cited by the NZ Flag.com Trust as a reason for adopting a different design. Debate on keeping or changing the New Zealand flag started before May 1973, when a remit for "New Zealand to be declared a republic, change the national flag, and the national anthem" was voted down by the Labour Party at their national conference. In 1994 Christian Democrat MP Graeme Lee introduced a Flags, Anthems, Emblems, and Names Protection Amendment Bill. If passed, the bill would have entrenched the Act that governs the flag (see ) and added New Zealand's anthems, requiring a majority of 65 percent of votes in Parliament before any future legislation could change the flag. The bill passed its first reading but was defeated at its second reading, 26 votes to 37. In 1998 Prime Minister Jenny Shipley backed Cultural Affairs Minister Marie Hasler's call for the flag to be changed. Shipley, along with the New Zealand Tourism Board, put forward the quasi-national silver fern flag (a silver fern on a black field, along the lines of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag) as a possible alternative flag. On 5 August 2010 Labour list MP Charles Chauvel submitted a member's bill for a consultative commission followed by a referendum on the New Zealand flag. 2015–16 referendums of the 2015 referendum designed by Kyle Lockwood On 11 March 2014, Prime Minister John Key announced in a speech his intention to hold a referendum, during the next parliamentary term, on adopting a new flag. Key stated, "It's my belief, and I think one increasingly shared by many New Zealanders, that the design of the New Zealand flag symbolises a colonial and post-colonial era whose time has passed". The first referendum was set for November 2015 allowing voters to decide on a preferred design from five choices. The second referendum would see the preferred design voted on against the current flag in March 2016. Had the flag changed, the current flag (described as the "1902 flag") of New Zealand would have been "recognised as a flag of historical significance", and its continued use would have been permitted. Official documents depicting the current flag would have been replaced only through ordinary means, e.g. an existing driving licence would have remained valid until its renewal date. In response to this public pressure, the New Zealand Government amended Sections 5 and 13 of the Flag Referendums Act in September 2015 to allow Red Peak to be added as a fifth option in the first referendum. Despite its inclusion, Red Peak was eliminated in the third round of preferential voting, receiving 8.77% of first-preference votes. On 11 December 2015, preliminary results were announced for the first referendum. The black, white and blue design, with a silver fern and red stars, was the winning flag. This flag design did not win the second referendum; according to preliminary results announced on 24 March 2016, the existing 1902 flag was chosen to remain the New Zealand flag. 56.7% were in favour of retaining the flag, with a voter turnout of 67.3%. 43.3% were in favour of changing the flag to the Lockwood design. ==New Zealand Red Ensign==

. A red version of the flag, officially called the Red Ensign and nicknamed the "red duster", was adopted in 1903 to be flown on non-government ships. It was flown on New Zealand merchant ships during both world wars. The Red Ensign has sometimes been flown incorrectly on land in the belief that it is the national flag. The Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981 does allow for the Red Ensign to be used on land on occasions of Māori significance, continuing the long preference of Māori for the use of red in flags. ==Other New Zealand flags==

on Waitangi Day, 2012 The flag commonly known as the (Māori for 'absolute sovereignty') flag was designed in 1989. It has been acknowledged as a national flag for the Māori. There are two official flags which, when flown in the appropriate circumstance, take precedence over the national flag of New Zealand: • The Queen's Personal New Zealand Flag, adopted in 1962, depicts the New Zealand coat of arms in banner form defaced with a roundel containing the letter 'E' and a crown. The personal flag was flown continuously on any building in which Queen Elizabeth II was in residence and by any ship that transported the Queen in New Zealand waters. In addition, the New Zealand Police, New Zealand Fire Service, New Zealand Customs Service, and the services of the New Zealand Defence Force have their own flags. A few local authorities have commissioned their own flags, such as that of the City of Nelson. ==See also==