Flags represent honor, respect, and pride and are used for organisations, states, cities, and nations. Many countries are widely recognised by their flags, and many have had several flag throughout their history. New Zealand is no exception. The New Zealand flag represents the entirety of the nation and its people. Its widely recognised royal blue background is said to be representative of the expansive sea and clear skies that accompany the topography. The stars that make up the Southern Cross give homage to the nation’s location within the South Pacific Ocean. Additionally, the Union Jack on the flag, pays homage to New Zealand's beginning as a British colony.
The New Zealand flag that is flown high and proud today has not always been the nation’s official flag. It first was designed and then was adopted back in 1902 during the turmoil and power of the South African War. For over sixty years prior, the Union Jack flew high and proud over the land. But this flag was not the nation’s first flag either. Between the yeas of 1834 and 1840, the country’s flag officially was the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand. Very different in look and feel, the flags of this nation have gone through changes over the centuries, but it has been well over 100 years since a new flag design was introduced. This has brought about the new push among some New Zealand natives- that it is time to get a new flag design and that it is high time to retire the current flag design.
Debate on possibly changing the New Zealand flag has been going on ever since the first flag design was accepted, but the debate over retiring the current flag began in 1973. This first push for change was voted down by a very large majority vote by the Labor Party. In 1979, Allan Highet, Minister of Internal Affairs, suggested that a flag change was in order and made an official call for an artist to design a new flag. The initial design idea was for a flag with a silver fern against a solid black background, but it did not get much support and the new design never made it off the planning table. From then till the present, the flag has remained the same though there have been several motions to begin working on new designs.
Some residents of New Zealand say there is no need for a new flag and other say that it is time for a change and the country needs a flag that better reflects their current place in the modern world. Prime Minister John Key made an announcement on the 11th of March 2014 concerning the plans to begin working on designing and adopting a new flag for the nation. It is his hope that by the end of 2015 and that New Zealand will have a new flag to present to the people to vote on.
Does New Zealand really need a new flag? Some say yes and some say no. There may be equal evidence presented for both sides of the debate. Only time will tell, but the rest of the world may be seeing a flag flying over New Zealand that is different from the ones in text books in the very near future.
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