A New Flag? New Zealand Voters Will Decide
December 16, 2015
Last weekend, New Zealand held a referendum (public vote) in which people selected their preference for a new national flag. The winner was “Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue),” designed by Melbourne-based New Zealander Kyle Lockwood. The design features a blue and black background with a white fern leaf and red stars that represent the Southern Cross, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere. In March 2016, New Zealanders will choose between keeping New Zealand’s current flag and replacing it with the one designed by Lockwood.
New Zealand alternative flag. The Silver Fern Flag, designed by Kyle Lockwood. Credit: New Zealand Government (licensed under CC BY 3.0 NZ)
New Zealand’s current flag has been in use since 1902, when the country was a British colony. The flag features a royal blue field (background) with four red stars representing the Southern Cross. The British flag appears in the canton (upper corner nearest the flagpole) of the flag. New Zealand became a dominion (self-governing territory) within the British Empire in 1907, and an independent nation in 1947. New Zealand is a constitutional monarchy, and the British monarch is the country’s official head of state. New Zealand kept its flag design unchanged to represent the country’s ties with the United Kingdom.
Some New Zealanders believe the country’s flag should be replaced with a new flag that does not feature the British flag. They believe removing the British flag from the design of the New Zealand flag will signal a cutting of ties with the country’s colonial legacy and emphasize the country’s individual merits.
In May 2015, New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced an open call for new flag designs. In August, 40 finalists were announced from a list of more than 10,000 submissions. From this list, a government-appointed panel chose four designs to compete in last weekend’s referendum. After a public campaign supporting another option, a fifth design was added to the competition.
Despite all the excitement surrounding the competition, polls indicate that the country’s flag may remain unchanged. Many New Zealanders are skeptical about the campaign, noting that the millions of dollars spent on the referendums could have been put to better use elsewhere. Some commentators speculate that resistance to changing the flag could be a way for voters to express disapproval with Prime Minister Key. Others argue it would be pointless to change the flag without changing the government itself to eliminate the role of the British monarchy.
