Flag of New Zealand

Country

Flag of New Zealand uses blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross. Ratio 1:2 and current adoption March 24, 1902.

Hoist Ratio 1:2 Fly

Flag Reference

Flag	Flag of New Zealand
Entity Type	Country
Identifier	NZ / NZL
Region	Australia and New Zealand

Flag Specifications

Current Adoption	March 24, 1902
First Documented Use	1869
Proportion	1:2
Shape	Rectangle
Colours	Blue, White, Red
Construction	Blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross
Common Name	The New Zealand Ensign

Documented Colour Values

Colour	HEX	RGB	CMYK
Blue	#012169	1, 33, 105	99, 69, 0, 59
White	#FFFFFF	255, 255, 255	0, 0, 0, 0
Red	#C8102E	200, 16, 46	0, 92, 77, 22

Design and Symbolism

Blue	the sea and the sky.
White	the star borders and the Union Jack.
Red	the stars and the Union Jack.
Southern Cross	Four five-pointed red stars marking the southern sky.
Difference from Australia	New Zealand’s stars are red with white borders and number four, while Australia’s are white and number six.

Proportions

Ratio	1:2
Hoist	1 units
Fly	2 units

About the Flag of New Zealand

Blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross The recorded proportion is 1:2. Within this library it is grouped with british-style ensign designs.

Colours and construction

The reference palette stored for New Zealand is Blue (#012169), White (#FFFFFF) and Red (#C8102E). The colour table above is intended for digital reference; where an issuing authority publishes a different colour standard, that specification takes precedence.

Symbols and recorded meaning

Southern Cross: Four five-pointed red stars marking the southern sky; Difference from Australia: New Zealand’s stars are red with white borders and number four, while Australia’s are white and number six.

History and adoption record

The design record traces first use to 1869. The adoption field for the present record is March 24, 1902.

Additional flag context

New Zealand held a two-stage referendum in 2015 and 2016; voters chose a silver fern design as the alternative, then chose to keep the existing flag by 57 per cent to 43.

The four stars of the Southern Cross are red with white borders and there are four of them; Australia's are white and there are five, which is the quickest way to tell the flags apart.

The flag was adopted in 1902, more than a decade after Australia's, and both derive from the British Blue Ensign.

How to identify this flag

For quick identification, look for Blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross, a 1:2 proportion and the visible southern Cross. Use the comparison and design-family links on this page when another flag has a similar palette or layout.

Verification sources

Flags of the World — New Zealand — Specialist vexillological reference

Other british-style ensign flags

See all

Facts about the Flag of New Zealand

New Zealand is recorded as blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross.
The reference proportion for the flag of New Zealand is 1:2.
The stored palette for New Zealand contains Blue, White and Red.
The adoption field for this country flag record is March 24, 1902.
The design record traces first use to 1869.
Its construction is grouped with the british-style ensign design family in this library.
Southern Cross: Four five-pointed red stars marking the southern sky.
Difference from Australia: New Zealand’s stars are red with white borders and number four, while Australia’s are white and number six.
New Zealand held a two-stage referendum in 2015 and 2016; voters chose a silver fern design as the alternative, then chose to keep the existing flag by 57 per cent to 43.
The four stars of the Southern Cross are red with white borders and there are four of them; Australia's are white and there are five, which is the quickest way to tell the flags apart.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Flag of New Zealand

What does the flag of New Zealand look like?

Blue Ensign with four red stars of the Southern Cross, with a recorded proportion of 1:2.

What proportion is recorded for the flag of New Zealand?

The reference proportion stored for this flag is 1:2.

Which colours are recorded for the flag of New Zealand?

The reference palette lists Blue #012169, White #FFFFFF and Red #C8102E.

What do the symbols on the flag of New Zealand represent?

Southern Cross — Four five-pointed red stars marking the southern sky. Difference from Australia — New Zealand’s stars are red with white borders and number four, while Australia’s are white and number six.

When was the present flag record for New Zealand adopted?

The adoption field in this record is March 24, 1902.

Which design family does the flag of New Zealand belong to?

WorldFlags.online groups it with british-style ensign designs for visual browsing; that classification describes construction, not necessarily historical ancestry.

Where can I verify information about the flag of New Zealand?

The verification-source section on this page links to an official, governmental or specialist reference used to check the underlying record. Source wording is not copied into the article.