New Zealand's Flag
New Zealand's National Flag contains three basic elements. These are the Union Flag, The Southern Cross and the blue background. Each of these elements has significance.
The Union Flag signifies the ancestry of a large majority of New Zealanders and the source of New Zealand's democratic traditions.
The Southern Cross represents the guiding stars by which both Maori and European settlers found New Zealand.
The blue background represents the ocean that was crossed by all of New Zealand's original settlers and which is still being crossed today, albeit more quickly and in greater comfort than ever before, by everyone who comes to make their home in New Zealand.
Some people want to change the flag. Others wish to keep it. In opinion polls a majority of New Zealanders tend to favour retaining the current flag.