List of New Zealand flags

This is a list of flags used in New Zealand.

National flag

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1902– (official, in use from 1869)	Flag of New Zealand	A defaced blue ensign with four red stars with white borders to the right, representing the constellation of Crux, the Southern Cross.
	1867–1869	The first flag of New Zealand based on the blue ensign	Blue ensign with the red letters "NZ" outlined in white
	1840–1867	British Union Flag	Adopted following the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840.
	1834–1840	Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand	Based on the White Ensign. Two crosses of St George and four eight-point stars in the canton on a blue background. (See also variant design under "Maori flags" below)

Royal and Viceregal

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1962–present	Personal Flag of Queen Elizabeth II in New Zealand	A banner of the Coat of Arms of New Zealand, defaced with a blue disc bearing the crowned letter 'E' in gold
	2008–present	Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand	The shield of the New Zealand Coat of Arms surmounted by the Royal Crown.
	1953–2008	Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand	A lion standing atop a crown, over a scroll inscribed "New Zealand"
	1936–1953	Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand	A lion standing atop a crown, over a scroll inscribed "Dominion of New Zealand"
	1908–1936	Flag of the Governor of New Zealand
	1874–1908	Flag of the Governor of New Zealand
	1869–1874	Governor of New Zealand	A Union Flag defaced with four five-pointed stars. This design was due to a misinterpretation of design instructions.
100x100px	?	Flag of the Queen's Representative in the Cook Islands	Flag of the Cook Islands with a crown in the centre of the ring of stars

Ensigns

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1901–	New Zealand Red Ensign	A red ensign with four white stars representing Crux, the Southern Cross
	1968–	Ensign of the Royal New Zealand Navy	A white ensign with four red stars
		Ensign of the Royal New Zealand Air Force	A light blue ensign with the roundel of the Royal Air Force defaced with the letters, "NZ".
	16 November 1938 –	New Zealand Civil Air Ensign	A blue cross with a wide border on a light blue field. The Union Flag is in the canton, with the Southern Cross in the fly.
		New Zealand Police Ensign	A blue flag with the New Zealand Flag in the canton, with the NZP emblem in the fly.
		New Zealand Fire Service Ensign	A blue flag with the New Zealand Flag in the canton, with the Fire Service emblem in the fly.
	1996–	New Zealand Customs Flag	A New Zealand Blue Ensign, with the letters "HMC" (for "Her Majesty's Customs" in the lower hoist was in use from 1966 to 1996. This flag superseded it in 1996.
	1968–1998	New Zealand Ministry of Transport Ensign	A sky blue flag with the New Zealand Ensign in the canton, with the NZMOT coat of arms within a blue disc in the fly.

Associated states

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1979–	Flag of the Cook Islands	A blue ensign with 15 stars in a ring
	1975–	Flag of Niue	A yellow ensign, the Union Flag has a star in the middle and four stars forming a diamond around it

Māori flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1834-	Original design of the United Tribes of New Zealand flag, widely used by Maori groups	Similar to the amended design used as the de facto national flag 1835–1840, but with eight-pointed stars and black fimbriation in the canton
	1990–	Flag of Tino rangatiratanga – Official National Māori Flag, approved by the NZ Cabinet in 2010	A white curling stripe on a red and black field
		Kotahitanga flag – unofficial Māori flag, widely used by Māori groups	Three horizontal stripes of red, white and black, defaced with a circular emblem featuring a mere crossed with a scroll representing the Treaty of Waitangi within a border of koru containing the word "Kotahitanga" (unity)
		Example of a Maori Flag	Some Maori tribes use the Red Ensign defaced with their tribal name

Sporting flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1908–1912	Flag of the Australasian team at the 1908 and 1912 Olympic Games	A Blue Ensign defaced by a white circle containing the British Crown plus a shield containing the Southern Cross
	1994–	Flag of the New Zealand Olympic Committee	A white flag with a depiction of the silver fern superimposed on the five ringed emblem of the International Olympic Committee
	1979–1994	Flag of the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association	A black flag with a depiction (in white) of a silver fern on the Olympic rings.
	1987	Flag of the All Blacks, New Zealand's national rugby team.	A black flag with a white silver fern.

Other New Zealand flags

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1993–	Unofficial flag of the Chatham Islands	A blue flag with a depiction of the island superimposed on a rising sun.
	1987–	Flag of the City of Nelson	Blue top third with bishop's mitre. Blue and white waves beneath with black cross flory.
		Flag of the New Zealand Navy Board	A fouled anchor with a red-blue background
	1987–	New Zealand Post flag	An orange-red flag with the NZ Post logo in white. Vertical white and blue strip in the fly.
	2004–	Flag of Otago	Blue and gold, horizontally divided by a zigzag line ("dancetty", in vexillological terms), with counterchanged eight-pointed stars. Used by the Otago Regional Council, and widely by the general public in the Otago region
	2007–	The New Munster Cross (also known as the Zealandia Ensign), an unofficial flag for the South Island	A Nordic Cross with white background representing the Southern Alps, with a green cross representing the lush bush and farmland of the South Island and blue representing the ocean. One of several flags adopted and promoted by various political groups advocating greater self-determination for the South Island (For a list of other such flags, see South Island nationalism#Flag concepts for the South Island).
	2008–	Flag of Tokelau	A blue flag with a stylized Polynesian canoe (vaka) in gold and a representation of the Southern Cross in the fly

Proposed alternative flags

Further information: New Zealand flag debate and Flag concepts for the South Island

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1990	Flag of tino rangatiratanga – official Maori flag	A white curling stripe on a red and black field
	2004	Kyle Lockwood's flag – official alternative NZ flag (black white and blue version)	The original design was a red, white and blue flag with a Silver Fern representing "the people of New Zealand". The blue colour represents the Pacific Ocean, the red represents the Māori people and sacrifices made by all New Zealanders during wartime, white is a reference to Aotearoa the "Land of the Long White Cloud". The black white and blue version of the flag by Kyle Lockwood won the first of the New Zealand flag referendums, 2015–16, and the red white and blue design was a close second. Black is one of the most well known National colours of New Zealand, and represents the pride and strength of New Zealand.
	1983	Friedensreich Hundertwasser's koru flag	A white flag with a green spiral (koru).
	1998	James Dignan's flag	Combines the red-white-blue and stars of the current flag (though with a brighter blue) and the bold diagonals of the Union Flag with the black-white-red of the flag of tino rangatiratanga, and adds the silver fern. Promoted widely after a New Zealand Herald article in 2002.
	2000	Aaron Nicholson’s flag	A modification of the current flag with the initials NZ to stylise the Union Jack and a long white cloud has made it to some a flag of compromise. This combination retains traditional links with the United Kingdom and New Zealand's Polynesian heritage. The NZ jack design is also reminiscent of the old 1974 Christchurch Commonwealth Games insignia. This design was displayed in newspapers around the country in 2005, and on an earlier TV debate with Angela De Audney.
	2004	Cameron Sanders' flag	A stylised silver fern flag, used by the NZ Flag.com Trust
	2007	Helen Clark's flag	Helen Clark made her proposal while Prime Minister of New Zealand. She said that deleting the Union Jack from the New Zealand flag was a possibility if people wanted to redesign the flag, leaving it as a "rather attractive Southern Cross".
	2009	Proposed flag by Adam Kibbey	This flag includes the Union Jack, symbolising British links, and the national colours of New Zealand, black and white, with the red from the cross of the Union Jack being extended to show the Maori colour of red. The southern cross is also prominent.
	2015	James Bowman's flag	The Koru Fern combines two iconic New Zealand symbols: the silver fern and the koru. It is one design currently helping stimulate debate and has been suggested to the New Zealand Government as an alternate design for the New Zealand Flag.
	2015	Proposed New Zealand flag designs by Mike Archer	From the initial 10,300 proposed flag designs submitted to the New Zealand Government, these two were selected by the Flag Consideration Panel and placed on a long list of 40, [publicly revealed on 10 August 2015]. The flag designs subtly reference ‘The Land Of The Long White Cloud’, the Southern Cross and the Pacific Ring of Fire, with a nod to New Zealand’s silver fern and its geographic location within the world. The colour palette of the first flag, (Land Of The Long White Cloud - Traditional Blue ), incorporates elements from the 1902 New Zealand flag and the National Māori flag - Tino rangatiratanga. The palette of the second flag, (Land Of The Long White Cloud - Ocean Blue ), has been reduced to reflect New Zealand’s strong connection with the ocean and environment - past, present and future. View the 'Traditional blue' backstory. >

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