The Southern Cross or Crux, a constellation visible in the Southern Hemisphere, is depicted on flags and coats of arms of various countries and sub-national entities. While New Zealand flag is lacking this on its flag. However, if one looks more closely, certain subtle difference between Australia flag and New Zealand flag can be noted. Though various versions of the Australian flag have been used since 1901. It is also said that one of the flag’s designers, Ivor Evans, intended the four larger stars to represent the four moral virtues – justice, prudence, temperance, and fortitude. There are two official flags which, when flown in the appropriate circumstance, take precedence over the national flag of New Zealand: In addition, the New Zealand Police, New Zealand Fire Service, New Zealand Customs Service, and the services of the New Zealand Defence Force have their own flags. As if it were not enough that people already confuse the New Zealand flag with Australia’s, Kiwis are tired of being invisible, or at least overlooked as a nation. This constellation is made up of five white stars: four, large, seven-pointed stars and one small five-pointed star. [60] It was flown on New Zealand merchant ships during both world wars. Whether the term "Union Jack" applies only when used as a, "His Excellency the Governor is pleased to direct it to be notified, for general information, that a Despatch has recently been received from the Right Honorable the Secretary of State for the Colonies, conveying His Majesty's approbation of an arrangement made by this Government for complying with the wishes of the Chiefs of New Zealand to adopt a National Flag in their collective capacity, and also, of the Registrar of Vessels, built in that country, granted by the Chiefs and certified by the British Resident, being considered as valid instruments, and respected as such in the intercourse which those Vessels may hold with the British Possessions. [41] In November 1979 Minister of Internal Affairs Allan Highet suggested that the design of the flag should be changed, and sought an artist to design a new flag with a silver fern on the fly, but the proposal attracted little support. an existing driving licence would have remained valid until its renewal date. The, black colour represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. Her areas of interests include literature, language, linguistics and also food. Difference Between Australian and New Zealand Flag, Difference Between Job Seeker and Job Keeper, How to Renew Australian Permanent Resident Visa, What is the Difference Between Parental Involvement and Engagement, What is the Difference Between Coffee Maker and Percolator, What is the Difference Between Cutlery and Flatware, What is the Difference Between Paleolithic and Neolithic Age, What is the Difference Between Retrospective and Prospective, What is the Difference Between Glue and Gum. However, Australian flag has more stars than the New Zealand flag, and their colors are also different. Australian Aboriginal Flag is black, red and yellow. • The Australian flag has the Southern Cross in white; the New Zealand flag has the Southern Cross portrayed with red stars with white borders. New Zealand votes to keep current flag with 56.6% of the vote, compared to 43.2% for Lockwood #nzflag pic.twitter.com/1Ao6WW1OmD. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. New Zealand flag is a defaced Blue Ensign with the Union Flag in the top left corner, and four red stars with white borders to the right. Unless a flag was selected, ships could continue to be seized. New Zealand tried to clear things up once and for all by holding a referendum on a redesigned flag in 2016. The Southern Cross constellation indicates the location of New Zealand in the south of the Pacific Ocean. This constellation symbolizes New Zealand’s geographical position in the Pacific Ocean whereas the Union Jack is a representation of New Zealand’s bond with the Great Britain. The star nearest the fly edge of the ensign shall measure five-sixtieths, the star at the top of the cross and that nearest to the Union Jack shall each measure six-sixtieths, and the star at the bottom of the cross shall measure seven-sixtieths of the hoist of the ensign across their respective red points, and the width of the white borders to the several stars shall in all cases be equal to one one-hundred-and-twentieth of the hoist of the ensign. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Copyright © 2010-2018 Difference Between. New Zealand too has other official flags, in addition to the New Zealand national flag. A Defaced Blue Ensign, the Australian flag features the Union Jack in the canton with what is referred to as a Commonwealth Star embedded in the lower hoist quarter of the flag and the Southern Cross constellation on the other side of the flag . New Zealand Flag doesn’t have a Commonwealth Star. It has four five-pointed stars. A seventh point was added to the flag in 1908 to symbolize the Papua and any future territories. An armed ship, Victoria, owned by the Colony of Victoria transported reinforcements to New Zealand for the campaign and took part in bombardments of Māori. The yellow circle in the center represents the sun. [23][24][25], The Union Jack was described as the "superior flag", to be flown above the New Zealand flag prior to 1965. Nevertheless, a historian quoted this week on Newshub said that Australia was already awash in flags bearing the Southern Cross long before the design hit New Zealand. “If anything it can be argued that the idea of the Southern Cross on a flag came from Australia,” said Malcolm Mulholland, a historian at the New Zealand college Te Whare Wananga o Awanuiarangi.