Flag of New Zealand

Meaning and history of the flag of New Zealand

New Zealand's flag is dark blue with the Union Jack in the upper-left canton and four red stars edged in white on the right half of the field, representing the Southern Cross constellation. It was officially adopted on March 24, 1902, though it had been used unofficially since 1869.

Blue represents the sky and the Pacific Ocean surrounding the islands. The Union Jack acknowledges the country's historical ties to the United Kingdom as a former British colony and member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The four stars of the Southern Cross, shown in slightly different sizes as they appear in the sky, mark the country's location in the Southern Hemisphere and have served Pacific peoples as a navigational reference for centuries.

New Zealand's flag is frequently confused with Australia's, since both share a blue field, the Union Jack in the canton, and a depiction of the Southern Cross. The key difference is that New Zealand's flag has four red stars edged in white, while Australia's has five white stars plus an additional Commonwealth Star. A referendum held in 2015-2016 asked whether to change the flag, but citizens voted to keep the traditional design, rejecting a proposed alternative featuring a silver fern, a symbol closely tied to the country's sporting and cultural identity.

You can view the flag of New Zealand in high resolution above and download it in several sizes for personal, educational or reference use. To explore more, visit the full New Zealand profile, its map, or the current local time in Wellington.