The document summarizes the flags of New Zealand. It describes New Zealand's first flag which was adopted in 1834 as the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand. It then discusses the Union Jack flag and the influence of British missionaries. It also describes the Maori flag known as Tino Rangatiratanga and the current New Zealand flag featuring the Union Jack and Southern Cross constellation. Debate around changing the flag is mentioned along with some alternative flag proposals like the Koru flag featuring a silver fern design.

1. UNITED TRIBES OF NEW ZEALAND FLAG
NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST OFFICIAL FLAG WAS THE FLAG OF THE UNITED TRIBES. IT WAS SELECTED ON 20 MARCH 1834 BY 25
CHIEFS FROM THE FAR NORTH WHO, WITH THEIR FOLLOWERS, HAD GATHERED AT WAITANGI IN THE BAY OF ISLANDS. A
NUMBER OF MISSIONARIES, SETTLERS AND THE COMMANDERS OF TEN BRITISH AND THREE AMERICAN SHIPS WERE ALSO
PRESENT. THE OFFICIAL BRITISH RESIDENT, JAMES BUSBY, SPOKE TO THOSE GATHERED AND THEN ASKED EACH CHIEF TO COME
FORWARD IN TURN AND SELECT A FLAG. THE SON OF ONE OF THE CHIEFS RECORDED THE VOTES. THE PREFERRED DESIGN, A
FLAG ALREADY USED BY THE CHURCH MISSIONARY SOCIETY, RECEIVED 12 OUT OF THE 25 VOTES, WITH THE OTHER TWO
DESIGNS RECEIVING 10 AND 3 VOTES, RESPECTIVELY. BUSBY DECLARED THE CHOSEN FLAG THE NATIONAL FLAG OF NEW
ZEALAND AND HAD IT HOISTED ON A CENTRAL FLAGPOLE, ACCOMPANIED BY A 21-GUN SALUTE FROM HMS ALLIGATOR. THE
INFLUENCE OF THE ENGLISH MISSIONARIES IS CLEAR IN THE USE OF THE ST GEORGE CROSS.

2. THE UNION FLAG
THE UNION JACK, OR UNION FLAG, IS THE NATIONAL FLAG OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE FLAG ALSO HAS
AN OFFICIAL OR SEMI-OFFICIAL STATUS IN SOME OTHER COMMONWEALTH REALMS; FOR EXAMPLE, IT IS
KNOWN BY LAW IN CANADA AS THE "ROYAL UNION FLAG". FURTHER, IT IS USED AS AN OFFICIAL FLAG IN
SOME OF THE SMALLER BRITISH OVERSEAS TERRITORIES. HE UNION JACK ALSO APPEARS IN THE CANTON
(UPPER LEFT-HAND QUARTER) OF THE FLAGS OF SEVERAL NATIONS AND TERRITORIES THAT ARE FORMER
BRITISH POSSESSIONS OR DOMINIONS.

3. THE MAORI FLAG
TINO RANGATIRATANGA IS A MĀORI LANGUAGE TERM THAT HAS RECENTLY BEEN SUGGESTED TO POSSIBLY MEAN 'ABSOLUTE
SOVEREIGNTY', IT IS ALSO THE NAME OF A FLAG THAT SOME MAORI INVOLVED IN CONTESTING THE CLASSICAL TRANSLATION
IDENTIFY WITH. IT APPEARS IN THE MĀORI VERSION OF THE TREATY OF WAITANGI, SIGNED BY THE BRITISH CROWN AND
MĀORI CHIEFS (RANGATIRA) IN 1840. IT HAS BECOME ONE OF THE MOST CONTENTIOUS PHRASES IN RETROSPECTIVE
ANALYSES OF THE TREATY, AMID DEBATE SURROUNDING THE OBLIGATIONS AGREED TO BY EACH OF THE OVER 500
SIGNATORIES.[1] THE PHRASE FEATURES IN CURRENT HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL DISCOURSE ON RACE RELATIONS IN NEW
ZEALAND, AND IS WIDELY USED BY MĀORI ADVOCACY GROUPS. A FLAG BASED ON TINO RANGATIRATANGA WAS DESIGNED IN
1990, WHICH HAS NOW BECOME A REPRESENTATIVE FLAG FOR MĀORI GROUPS ACROSS NEW ZEALAND.
MAORI FLAG

4. NEW ZEALAND FLAG
THE FLAG OF NEW ZEALAND IS A DEFACED BLUE ENSIGN WITH THE UNION FLAG IN THE CANTON, AND FOUR RED STARS WITH WHITE
BORDERS TO THE RIGHT. THE STARS PATTERN REPRESENT THE ASTERISM WITHIN THE CONSTELLATION OF CRUX, THE SOUTHERN CROSS.
THE FLAG OF NEW ZEALAND OUTSIDE THE BEEHIVE IN WELLINGTON.
NEW ZEALAND'S FIRST FLAG, THE FLAG OF THE UNITED TRIBES OF NEW ZEALAND, WAS ADOPTED IN 1834, SIX YEARS BEFORE NEW
ZEALAND BECAME A BRITISH COLONY FOLLOWING THE SIGNING OF THE TREATY OF WAITANGI IN 1840. CHOSEN BY AN ASSEMBLY OF
MĀORI CHIEFS AT WAITANGI IN 1834, THE FLAG WAS OF A ST GEORGE'S CROSS WITH ANOTHER CROSS IN THE CANTON CONTAINING
FOUR STARS ON A BLUE FIELD. AFTER THE FORMATION OF THE COLONY IN 1840, BRITISH ENSIGNS BEGAN TO BE USED. THE CURRENT
FLAG WAS DESIGNED AND ADOPTED FOR USE ON COLONIAL SHIPS IN 1869 FOLLOWING AN IMPERIAL STATUTE AND BECAME NEW
ZEALAND'S NATIONAL FLAG IN 1902.
FOR SEVERAL DECADES THERE HAS BEEN DEBATE ABOUT CHANGING THE FLAG. A TWO-STAGE BINDING REFERENDUM ON A FLAG CHANGE
IS PLANNED TO TAKE PLACE IN 2015 AND 2016, WITH SUBMISSIONS OF ALTERNATIVE FLAG OPTIONS BEGINNING IN MAY 2015.

5. I STRONGLY FEEL WE SHOULD CHANGE THE FLAG AS IT IS QUITE SIMILAR TO AUSTRALIA.
THIS DEPICTS THAT WE DO NOT SHOW OR HAVE ORIGINALITY AND WE ARE NOT BEING
DECRIBED AS A PROUD NEW ZEALANDER. A NEW ZELAND FLAG SHOULD HAVE
PERSONALITY, RESPECT AND CULTURE. IT SHOULD INCLUDE DIFFERENT CULTURES THAT
MAKE NEW ZEALAND.
THE OFFICIAL NEW ZEALAND FLAG
SHOULD WE KEEP THE CURRENT FLAG?

6. THE KORU FLAG
PROPOSED NEW ZEALAND FLAG BY JAMES BOWMAN. OUR MOST RECOGNISED AND USED NATIONAL SYMBOL IS THE SILVER FERN.
IT’S UNIQUELY OURS (AS OPPOSED TO OUR SHARED UNION JACK AND SOUTHERN CROSS) AND HAS LONG BEEN THE SYMBOL OF OUR
TRADE, MILITARY AND SPORT. IT REPRESENTS THE BEST OF US, INCLUDING OUR ENVIRONMENT. BLACK & WHITE AND POUNAMU
GREEN. THE KORU IS CENTRAL TO MAORI DESIGN. THE KORU IS A SPIRAL SHAPE BASED ON THE SHAPE OF A NEW UNFURLING SILVER
FERN FROND AND SYMBOLIZING NEW LIFE, GROWTH, STRENGTH AND PEACE. USING KORU TO DEPICT OUR FERN IS NATURAL AND
APPROPRIATE. SYMMETRICAL KORU ALSO FORM MANGOPARE (HAMMERHEAD SHARKS) REPRESENTING STRENGTH AND
DETERMINATION. THE KORU FERN DEPICTS A LINEAR STORY, FROM OUR POWERFUL HISTORY (CONNECTED TO THE FLAG POLE)
THROUGH CHAPTERS OF DEVELOPMENT, AND THE PROMISE OF PERPETUAL FUTURE GROWTH. IT ALSO DEPICTS THE ‘LONG WHITE
CLOUD’ TOPPED MOUNTAINOUS AOTEAROA LANDSCAPE, SET AGAINST A NIGHT SKY, REFLECTED IN THE SEA. NAVIGATING BY THE
NIGHT SKY LINKS TO THE SOUTHERN CROSS. THE CENTRALISED ANGLES LINK TO THE UNION JACK. THE KORU FERN DESIGN
COMPLEMENTS TINO RANGATIRATANGA (OUR MAORI FLAG).
KORU FLAG(2015)