New Zealand’s acting Prime Minister Winston Peters has alleged that Australia had copied New Zealand’s national flag and demanded Australia design a new one. His quote comes at a time when Australia is deporting hundreds of New Zealandars from it’s land. Peters is acting while Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is on a six-week maternity leave.
“We had a flag that we’ve had for a long time, copied by Australia, and they should actually change their flag and honor the fact that we got there first with this design,” Peters said.
The New Zealand and Australian flags bear a striking resemblance. The New Zealand flag’s Southern Cross has four red stars outlined in white, while Australia’s Southern Cross has five white stars and an additional Commonwealth star with seven points — six for the Australian states and one representing its territories.
The New Zealand flag is 50 years older than Australia’s and was adopted in 1902, replacing the union jack. The Australian flag was adopted in 1954, but after going through three previous versions since the first 1901 design.
Two years ago, New Zealand’s government spent NZ$26m holding a referendum on changing the New Zealand flag. In the end, 56.6% of New Zealanders voted to stick with the same flag, while 43.2% opted for a new design.