The NZ flag goes back to Britain's Blue Ensign; Push for more Kiwi flavour in our national symbol dates back a century
by Juliet Rowan
1 February 2005
The movement to change the New Zealand flag has gained momentum during the past week but debate about the original design was just as lively more than 100 years ago. The New Zealand flag is more than a century old, becoming the official national flag under the New Zealand Ensign Act on June 12, 1902.
Before that, New Zealand had two other official flags - the United Tribes of
New Zealand flag, used from 1834 until the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi
in 1840, and the Union Jack (1840 to 1902).
Maori also used various flags to assert their independence during the New Zealand
Wars.
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage website says the present flag's origins can be traced to 1865, when the British Government ordered ships from the colonies to fly the Blue Ensign (which featured a Union Jack on a royal blue background) with the seal or badge of the colony.
But New Zealand had no official seal or badge, the website says, and local vessels flew the Blue Ensign without a local emblem until reprimanded by visiting British ships.
Proposals were made for an emblem, one of which was the Southern Cross.
It was rejected as not being ``exclusively representative of New Zealand'' and the abbreviation ``NZ'' was added to the Blue Ensign in 1867.
That design lasted two years until Governor Sir George Bowen returned to the Southern Cross proposal, ordering the flag to show four red stars with white borders. The flag was officially a maritime flag but was also used on land.
Debate raged about whether the Southern Cross should have five stars, like its Australian counterpart, before it became the national flag in 1902.
The flag originated during a period of unparalleled patriotism in New Zealand.
It became a symbol of national pride during the South African (Boer) War, the first overseas conflict to involve New Zealand troops.
Weekly ceremonies to salute the flag became compulsory in public schools in 1921 and it is still considered sacred.
Under the Flags, Emblems and Names Protection Act 1981, it is an offence to use, display, destroy or damage the flag in or within view of a public place with the intention of dishonouring it.
The ministry website warns against flying the flag in a dilapidated condition. It says the correct procedure for disposing of a ragged flag is ``by burning it discreetly in an incinerator or something similar, not by taking it to a rubbish dump''.
"The important thing to remember is that the flag must not be destroyed in public view.''
An online survey of Herald readers found that nearly half - 45.6 per cent - favoured a change from the present design featuring the Union Jack.
New Zealand Herald
(c) 2005 The New Zealand Herald