Flag of New Zealand

Prior to 1840 the 'Flag of the united tribes' was often used as a semi-official New Zealand flag. It featured two crosses of St George and four stars in the top left. After the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 the British Union Flag became the official New Zealand flag.

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The current Flag of New Zealand was introduced in 1869. It was initially used only on Government ships, but was soon adopted as the de facto national flag. It was officially made the national flag by Parliament in 1902. It is a dark blue ensign with the Union Flag, in the top left hand corner, with four red stars with white borders to the right.

Related Topics:
New Zealand - Blue ensign - Union Flag

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The Union Flag symbolises New Zealand's Commonwealth heritage. The stars represent the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross.

Related Topics:
New Zealand - Commonwealth - Crux

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The flag proportion is 2:1 and the colours are Red (Pantone 186), Blue (Pantone 280) and White. Proportion and colours are identical to the Union Flag.

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There is also a New Zealand red ensign which became the official flag for merchant vessels in 1901.http://flagspot.net/flags/nz_ens.html#cen Previously a plain red ensign was used.

Related Topics:
Red ensign - Merchant vessels - 1901

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The red ensign may continue to be flown on land in Maori areas or during Maori events under the Flags, Emblems, and Names Protection Act 1981http://www.mch.govt.nz/nzflag/other-flags.htm in recognition of long held Maori preference for red flags. New Zealand law allows the defacement of the flag in accordance to Maori custom in which white capital letters identifying a particular family or Maori tribe are added. In the case of the flag on the left, TAKITIMU refers to a grouping of Maori tribes descended from the crew of the ancestral canoe of that name http://flagspot.net/flags/nz_mao.html#red.

Related Topics:
Maori - Defacement of the flag

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Today, private and merchant craft can choose to fly the Flag of New Zealand (ie the blue ensign) or the Southern Cross red ensign.

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Since 1990, some Maori have been using the red ensign less in favour of a new flag which lacks colonial connotations. Chosen through a competition, the Maori flag uses black to represent Te Korekore or potential being, white to represent Te Ao Marama to represent the physical world, red to represent Te Whei Ao, the realm of coming into being and the Koru, a curl representing the unfolding of new life.

Related Topics:
Te Korekore - Te Ao Marama - Te Whei Ao - Koru

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The Maori flags Te Paerangi and Te Paekinga of the Maori King movement, and Te Kooti's more elaborate battle flag all carried a 'triple star' which some have suggested represented the three main islands of Aotearoa or Tane's three baskets of knowledge. One of New Zealand's two national anthems, 'God Defend New Zealand', includes the line 'Guard Pacific's triple star' and there has been various speculation over the years as to whether this was a reference to the three islands, or perhaps to the Maori battle flag - the anthem's author, Thomas Bracken, being something of an Irish anti-colonial.

Related Topics:
God Defend New Zealand - Thomas Bracken - Irish

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