New Zealand

New Zealand
Adopted	March 24, 1902
Designed by	Albert Hastings Markham
Proportions	1:2

The flag of New Zealand is a blue ensign with the Union Jack in the canton, and four red stars with white borders in the fly. The stars represent the constellation of Crux (aka the Southern Cross).

Symbolism

The current version of the flag was adopted for restricted use on 23 October 1869, as the ensign for use on government vessels. On 12 June 1902, amidst all the pomp and patriotism surrounding the South African War, the ensign became the national and state flag for New Zealand. The flag has a highly stylized representation of the Southern Cross constellation, and only depicts four of the five stars; the smaller Epsilon Crucis is not on shown.

Specifications

Colours

Colour	RGB	Hex	Pantone
Red	204, 0, 0	#CC0000	186 C
Blue	0, 0, 102	#000066	280 C
White	255, 255, 255	#FFFFFF	Safe

Historical Flags

Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (1834–1840)

British Union Flag (1840–1867)

The first flag of New Zealand based on the Blue Ensign (1867–1869)

The Flag of New Zealand (1902–present)

Other flags

Civil Ensign

The New Zealand civil ensign is a flag designed to be flown from non-government ships. It is a Red Ensign with the Southern Cross constellation (coloured white) on the fly, with four stars (with five points).

Naval Ensign

The naval ensign of New Zealand is white with the British flag in the top left corner. On the fly is the Southern Cross constellation in red.

Nicknames

• New Zealand Ensign