Title: Koru, 4-pt cross, fern, mountain, wave, blue and teal
A white fern frond shown side-on extends diagonally from the lower left to the upper right of this 1 X 2 flag, dividing it into lower teal and upper blue fields. A koru and Southern Cross in the canton, strong symbols of Aotearoa/New Zealand, clearly identify this flag as ours even when it is hanging slack.
The blue retains the principal colour of the existing flag and provides the night sky for the Southern Cross. The silver fern is our most popular and widely recognised national symbol. The white frond, viewed side-on here, also represents a mountain range, New Zealand's "long white cloud", with snow covered ridges extending down to the green land below. The teal also represents the sea that surrounds. It forms a breaking wave with the fern as its foaming crest.
Two versions are submitted – this one with 4-pointed stars, the other with common 5-pointed stars. The 4-pointed stars are more graceful and would have the added value of being unique among national flags that have a Southern Cross.
Rick and Margot Herzer.