New Zealand chooses new design that might replace existing national flag

New Zealand revealed Tuesday the new flag design, chosen in a referendum, which might replace the country’s existing flag after a second popular vote is held in March 2016.

The winning design by Kyle Lockwood, consists of a silvercolored fern on a blue and black background, with four red stars representing the Southern Cross constellation.

The new design won over four other options, two of which also included a fern leaf, in a vote which began Nov. 20 and saw the participation of over 1.5 million New Zealanders, or 48.78 percent of the country’s recorded population.

Lockwood’s design was a favorite after the first count Friday with 14,000 more votes than its closest rival, a creation of the same designer and nearly identical to the winning entry, except it had red instead of black in the backdrop.

Prime Minister John Key who liked Lockwood’s designs was satisfied with the choice and said the fern for many Kiwis is far more of a national symbol than the Union Jack.

Voting from March 3 to March 24 next year will decide if the new design will replace the present flag, which is reminiscent of the country’s colonial past.

Meanwhile, a survey of 7,500 readers by Sunday’s New Zealand Herald showed 56 percent were against changing the existing flag, which is blue in color, and has the United Kingdom’s Union Jack imposed in the upperleft corner, formed by the intersection of three crosses representing the patron saints of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It also has four red stars with white borders that represent the Southern Cross constellation.

However, it is often confused with the Australian flag, which is also blue and has the Union Jack, although the colors and the number of stars are different.