Air New Zealand Limited is the flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 20 domestic and 30 international destinations in 18 countries, primarily within the Pacific Rim. The airline has been a member of the Star Alliance since 1999.
The flag of New Zealand, also known as the New Zealand Ensign, is based on the British maritime Blue Ensign – a blue field with the Union Jack in the canton or upper hoist corner – augmented or defaced with four red stars centred within four white stars, representing the Southern Cross constellation.
Dame Jennifer Mary Shipley is a New Zealand former politician who served as the 36th prime minister of New Zealand from 1997 to 1999. She was the first female prime minister of New Zealand, and the first woman to have led the National Party.
Alsophila tricolor, synonym Cyathea dealbata, commonly known as the silver fern or silver tree-fern, or as ponga or punga, is a species of medium-sized tree fern, endemic to New Zealand. The fern is usually recognisable by the silver-white colour of the under-surface of mature fronds. It is a symbol commonly associated with the country both overseas and by New Zealanders themselves.
The koru is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. Its shape "conveys the idea of perpetual movement," while the inner coil "suggests returning to the point of origin".
Marie Bernadine Hasler is a former New Zealand politician. She was a member of Parliament for the National Party from 1990 to 1993, and then again from 1996 to 2002.
A koru flag was designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1983 and proposed as a secondary flag for New Zealand.
The New Zealand Olympic Committee is both the National Olympic Committee and the Commonwealth Games Association in New Zealand responsible for selecting athletes to represent New Zealand in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games.
The black, white and blue silver fern flag is a proposed flag for New Zealand by architectural designer Kyle Lockwood. It was first designed using different colours in 2000. It was voted as the preferred alternative New Zealand flag in the first of two New Zealand flag referendums in December 2015, and was used in the second flag referendum in a binding contest against the current New Zealand flag. Despite a UMR poll predicting that the flag would earn only 35% of the vote, the Silver Fern Flag gained a significant minority in the March 2016 referendum with 43.2% of the vote, whilst the existing flag won with 56.6% of the vote.
The New Zealand flag debate is a question over whether the national flag should be changed. For several decades, alternative designs have been proposed, with varying degrees of support. There is no consensus among proponents of changing the flag as to which design should replace the current one. Common criticisms of the existing form of the New Zealand flag are its similarity to the Australian flag and the inappropriateness of retaining the Union Jack in the design. A series of polls conducted since the 1970s have shown that a majority of New Zealanders prefer the current flag.
The Constellation Cup is an international netball competition contested by Australia and New Zealand. The competition features a series of test matches. The two teams have competed for the trophy since 2010. Australia won the inaugural series and have gone on to become the competition's dominant team. Between 2013 and 2019, Australia won the series on seven successive occasions. New Zealand won the trophy for the first time in 2012 and for a second time in 2021.
The Lonsdale Cup is awarded annually by the New Zealand Olympic Committee (NZOC) to a New Zealand athlete who has demonstrated the most outstanding contribution to an Olympic or Commonwealth sport during the previous year.
The national colours of New Zealand orders include black, white or silver, and red ochre.
Many of the national sports teams of New Zealand have been given nicknames, officially or otherwise, based on the iconic status of the All Blacks rugby team, and the silver tree fern of their logo. The practice became controversial when Badminton New Zealand used the name "Black Cocks" for a period in 2004.
The Red Peak flag is a proposed New Zealand flag that appeared as one of five options for voters to consider in the 2015–16 flag referendums. Designed by Aaron Dustin in 2015, Red Peak appeared on the government's official longlist of 40 alternative flag designs before failing a final culling of the field on 1 September 2015 to four options. After public disappointment with the official four-flag shortlist, a social media campaign was launched on 2 September that revived the flag's prospects and captured the attention of leading parliamentary figures both in government and opposition. On 23 September, Prime Minister John Key announced the government had agreed to support Green Party legislation that would add Red Peak to the referendum ballot as a fifth option.
Two referendums were held by the New Zealand Government in November/December 2015 and March 2016 to determine the nation's flag. The voting resulted in the retention of the current flag of New Zealand.
Kyle Simon Lockwood JP is a New Zealand architectural designer based in Melbourne, Australia. He is known for leading the successful campaign for the New Zealand Government to reintroduce the duration of the New Zealand passport to ten years, and for designing the two flags that came first and second, in the first New Zealand flag referendum. He also successfully lobbied for the introduction of the popular 18+ card.
The national Māori flag, also known as the Tino Rangatiratanga flag in reference to the concept of tino rangatiratanga, is used to represent the Māori people of New Zealand. In 2009, the Tino Rangatiratanga flag was selected as the national Māori flag after a nationwide consultation. It was first revealed on Waitangi Day in 1990. Though it does not have official status from the New Zealand Government, it has been used by the government on official occasions.
The Laser Kiwi flag, originally titled Fire the Lazer, was designed in 2015 by Lucy Gray as a proposed flag of New Zealand for the 2015–2016 New Zealand flag referendums. It has since become a social media phenomenon that has created ongoing interest in the design.
