Wait, New Zealand Is Picking A New Flag, Maybe? (Is Australia Next?)

The four finalists for New Zealand’s alternative flag have been released and now it’s up to the public – again.

Over the next few months, New Zealanders will go to the polls (twice), but not for an election; rather, a potential alteration to their national emblem. The debate of the flags has lasted over 70 years, but it wasn’t until the early 2000s that the petition for change picked up some traction – attracting 100,000 votes in 2005 - and has only gained further interest with the Prime Minister, John Key, recently revealing his own opinions on the current flag.

Given the endless confusion between the Australian and New Zealand flags, as well as the fact that New Zealand’s flag has hardly become synonymous with the nation it represents, it seems logical that New Zealand would want a flag that truly represents its culture and population.

However, it’s difficult to determine if New Zealand is truly on board with the change.

In May, the New Zealand government offered the opportunity for the public to put forward suggestions for the new flag – the only rule being that it could not feature offensive or copyrighted images. The government’s attempt to start a conversation about what the country should stand for, and what image would best represent it, encouraged a fleet of designs that were unique, to say the least.

One such contender.

The final four flags to make the cut came from a limited selection, with two of the designs submitted by the same person.

The current flag has, in the past, not been deemed representative enough of New Zealand, given its British centric design. However, the alternative flags have only drawn neutral reactions from the general public (half of whom have admitted they are open to a flag change, dependent only on the final design).

The proposed flags may be ‘distinctly New Zealand’ in a traditional sense, but the actual creativity of the designs have been questioned -  seemingly lacking depth beyond their literal depiction of silver ferns or its Maori symbol equivalent. The multitude of other designs submitted suggest New Zealand citizens should be represented by more than its natural flora.

That said, New Zealand’s own flag debate raises questions for Australia. Australia’s flag, like New Zealand's, is inherently tied to its British roots. Does Australia need to create its own national emblem and define itself independently or does our current flag best represent Australia’s rich history?

New Zealand's first referendum to decide which of the four proposed flags should be considered to replace the current one will take place between November 20 and December 11. The second referendum, deciding the ultimate of the current NZ flag, will occur in March of 2016.

Emily Lam is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. Learn more about the contributors program.