New Zealand flag redesign shortlist is announced

In a meeting that I can only imagine required several gallons of coffee and a bunch of sugary snacks, the New Zealand Government panel has succeeding in narrowing down its potential future flag design from 10,292 designs to a longlist of 40. They vary from graphic black, white and red designs to others which include greens and blues, and are mainly focused around an arrangement of stars, waves and the national silver fern emblem.

“In reviewing flag designs, first and foremost, we were guided by what thousands of Kiwis across a range of communities told us when they shared what is special to them about New Zealand,” the panel told the population of New Zealand via an open letter. “This provided the Panel, and flag designers, with valuable direction as to how New Zealanders see our country and how those values might best be expressed in a new flag.

“The message was clear, and the Panel agreed. A potential new flag should unmistakably be from New Zealand and celebrate us as a progressive, inclusive nation that is connected to its environment, and has a sense of its past and a vision for its future.”

The final shortlist of four will be selected by mid-September, at which point eligible voters across New Zealand will be asked to choose their favourite. In May, there will be a national vote to choose between this new design and the existing flag.