The document discusses the history and evolution of flags in New Zealand. It describes the original Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand that was designed in 1835 and recognized New Zealand as an independent nation. However, in 1840 the British replaced it with the Union Jack as the official flag following the Treaty of Waitangi. Some Maori chiefs opposed this as they wanted both flags to be recognized. The current flag was adopted in 1902 after confusion between different flags used. The document then discusses plans for a two-stage referendum between 2015-2016 to decide whether to keep the current flag or choose a new design.