New Zealand May Have a New National Flag

New Zealand has now chosen a preliminary winner for the new design of its national flag. It took about a year, but the final decision for the first stage in the referendum will be made Tuesday when officials announce the winner between two finalists. The preliminary winner is called the "Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue)."

Kyle Lockwood, an architectural technologist created both finalists. The designs are similar: the New Zealand fern with red stars representing the Southern Cross, but one has a black, white, and blue color background (the projected winner) while the other has red, white, and blue. Once late and overseas votes are counted, the final winner will be announced on Tuesday.

In September a government panel selected four designs from over 100,00 entries to find a possible replacement for the flag. A fifth, called "Red Peak" by Aaron Dustin, was added after an extensive lobbying campaign on social media. Ballots were mailed in between November 20 and December 11. "Red Peak" ended up becoming the second runner up.

Lockwood was told about the decision on December 11. He told the New Zealand Herald how he created the design. "I was thinking about a design that would include all New Zealanders. And I feel like the fern with its multiple points represents multiple cultures coming together and growing upward into the future."

The Atlantic described the two sides fighting over the installment of a new flag. One side, those who want a new design, stem from some New Zealanders feelings that the current flag places too much of an emphasis on Britain's Union Jack, an outdated connection. The opponents have issue with the referendum itself. The cost to implement a new flag would be about $27 million New Zealand dollars, or $18 million US dollars. A poll taken in November indicates that 65% of those polled want to keep the current flag.

Prime Minister John Key, supports the decision to change the flag. Key remarked that the current New Zealand flag is too similar to Australia's flag and that it's time to remove the Union Jack.

The two designs were whittled down from five with 48% of eligible New Zealand voters putting in their voice. The "Silver Fern" won with 50.53 percent of the vote.

The winner will go off against the incumbent flag in the next round of voting in March 2016. "Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue)" could be the start of a new identity for New Zealand's citizens, but with the current majority unfavorable to a new flag, the referendum may end as a fun, but ultimately useless experiment.