Mike Archer

From the initial 10,300 proposed flag designs submitted to the New Zealand Government, these two were selected by the Flag Consideration Panel and placed on a long list of 40. The flag designs subtly reference ‘The Land Of The Long White Cloud’, the Southern Cross and the Pacific Ring of Fire, with a nod to New Zealand’s silver fern and its geographic location within the world. The colour palette of the first flag, (Land Of The Long White Cloud - Traditional Blue), incorporates elements from the 1902 New Zealand flag and the National Māori flag - Tino rangatiratanga. The palette of the second flag, (Land Of The Long White Cloud - Ocean Blue ), has been reduced to reflect New Zealand’s strong connection with the ocean and environment - past, present and future.