List of New Zealand flags

This is a list of flags used in New Zealand. Some flags are shown for official purposes, while others are informal designs.

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
File:Royal Standard of New Zealand.svg	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	A Union Flag defaced with a white circle, with four red stars and the initial 'NZ' at the center, surrounded by a wreath of ferns.
	1874–1908	Flag of the Governor of New Zealand	A Union Flag defaced with a white circle, with four red stars and the initial 'NZ' at the center, surrounded by a green wreath.
	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.
	?	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 field 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 defaced 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

Cities and areas

Flag	Date	Use	Description
	1976–	Flag of the City of Christchurch	Chevron Gules a Mitre between a Fleece and a Garbe of the first in base two Bars wavy Azure on a Chief of the last four Lymphads sails furled, also of the first And for the Crest on a Wreath Or and Azure a Kiwi proper
	?–	Flag of the City of Dunedin	Argent a fess dancetty vert on which a sheep's head caboshed between two wheat sheafs all proper. In chief a three-towered castle sable, mortared of the first and flagged gules on a rock proper. In base a lymphad sable sailed and flagged azure.
	1987–	Flag of the City of Nelson	Blue top third with bishop's mitre. Blue and white waves beneath with black cross flory.
	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.
	?–	Flag of the City of Palmerston North	Plain white background with central coat of arms. 'City of Palmerston North, New Zealand' in black text above and below the coat of arms.
	1911–	Flag of the City of Wellington	Black symmetric cross on a yellow background with a central circular design of a ship with a fish on its sail.

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
File:Gate Pā Flag.jpg	1864	Hung as part of the memorial in the Auckland War Memorial Museum for those who died, both European and Māori, in the New Zealand Wars.	A white Greek cross on its left upper canton, a four pointed white star (ascending Star of Bethlehem) on its right lower canton, and downward white crescent (new moon) in the centre on a field of red.

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.
		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.
	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
File:New Munster Cross.jpg	2016-	Independence Flag of the South Island of New Zealand	A Nordic Cross with white background representing the Southern Alps and other snowcapped mountains, with a green cross representing the lush forest, bush and farmland of the South Island, and blue representing the rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Proposed alternative flags

Main article: List of proposed New Zealand flags

See also: New Zealand flag debate

See also: New Zealand flag referendums, 2015–16

Further information: Flag concepts for the South Island

External links

• Media related to Flags of New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons