New Zealand's acting prime minister wants Australia to come up with a new flag, claiming it copied New Zealand's. The Australian and New Zealand flags are often mixed up due to their similar appearance.
Image: Getty Images/I. Waldie
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New Zealand's acting Prime Minister Winston Peters on Wednesday alleged that Australia had copied New Zealand's national flag and demanded Australia design a new one, local media reported.
"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 Australian and New Zealand flags are often confused due to their similarities. Both flags are blue with the Union Jack in the top left corner and the stars of the Southern Cross.
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 was adopted in 1902, while Australia adopted its current flag design in 1954 — more than 50 years later — but after going through three previous versions since the first 1901 design.
The five potential flag designs New Zealand was considering for their national flagImage: Getty Images/H. Hopkins
Deportation controversy
Peters' flag accusation comes after he criticized Australia for deporting New Zealand nationals without a trial.
"When you're in a foreign country you're expected to obey their laws," the New Zealand Herald quoted Peters as saying. "But someone should be tried before they're evicted from a country," he continued.
Peters, who is also New Zealand's foreign minister, and Justice Minister Andrew Little appeared on the Australian Broadcasting Commission's "Foreign Correspondent" program last week, where he said there appeared to be a "venal, political strain" to them and "certainly not consistent with any humanitarian ideals that I thought both countries once shared."
How many of these flags can you identify?
The Jamaican flag's colors – black, yellow and green – represent the political parties that were hoped to form a coalition. Talks have collapsed. But can you identify these other flags?
Image: picture-alliance/blickwinkel/McPHOTO
A Jamaican Germany?
Germans spent weeks talking about Jamaica – but most weren't referring to the Caribbean island nation. The flag's colors also represent the coalition Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (black) hoped to form with the Free Democrats (yellow) and the Greens; that didn't work out. The next flag might be a bit trickier to identify...
Image: Imago/Agentur 54 Grad/C. Schaffrath
Red field, yellow dots
What does this flag represent: the soccer club Bayern Munich; the self-proclaimed autonomous district of Christiania; or the South Asian Kingdom of Bhutan?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J.N.Larsen
Christiania
This flag was designed by the inhabitants of the district of Christiania in the Danish capital, Copenhagen. In 1971, they occupied a former barracks and created an autonomous settlement. It's unclear what the symbols on the flag represent: freedom, equality and fraternity, or maybe just the three dots on the letter 'i' in the name?
Fern leaf, four stars
Where does this flag come from? Does it represent New Zealand or the Marshall Islands – or maybe somewhere else?
Image: Reuters/R. Ben-Ari
New Zealand (in an alternate future)
This flag was actually only a proposal for a new national banner for New Zealand, one of six voted on in 2015 and 2016. Some citizens have advocated for the removal of any traces of the former colonial power, Britain – even from the flag. But in the second referendum, 56.6 percent of New Zealanders rejected the fern and decided to keep the Union Jack in the flag's upper left quarter.
Black, red, gold
Which country is represented by this national flag: Germany, Belgium or Angola?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Brandt
Germany
That one should have been easy for DW readers. The colors of the German federal flag are defined in the country's Basic Law. Although officially designated black, red and gold, a yellow tone is often used in practice. The colors were inspired by the uniforms of the German soldiers in the Wars of Liberation against Napoleon Bonaparte in the early 19th century.
Once again: Black, red, gold
True, these are the colors of the German flag. But this time, another country had adopted the same color scheme. Which country is represented by this banner: Uganda, East Timor or Zimbabwe?
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. Gillieron
Uganda
This flag belongs to the African nation of Uganda. Here, black symbolizes the people of Africa, yellow stands for the sun and red represents brotherhood. These are also the colors of the party that led the country to independence from British colonial rule. In the center of the flag struts the black crowned crane, Uganda's most important national symbol.
Orange, white and green
Can you name this flag's country? Is it the Ivory Coast, Ireland or India?
Image: Reuters/UNI
India
The flags of the Ivory Coast, Ireland and India all share the same three colors: orange, white and green. But this is India's national flag. The orange, or in this case saffron yellow, stands for courage, white represents peace and truth, and green stands for loyalty and chivalry. The charge in the middle of the flag is a wheel, symbolizing the teachings of Buddha.
Many colors, one star
Do you recognize this flag? Is it that of South Africa, South Sudan or Syria?
Image: picture alliance/dpa/M. Messara
South Sudan
The flag flies over the world's youngest country, South Sudan, which declared its independence from Sudan in 2011. Currently, a civil war is raging along ethnic lines in the East African nation. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, and more than 4 million have fled. Despite large oil reserves, South Sudan is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Field of blue, shining sun
To which country does this flag belong: the Pacific island state of Palau, Belarus or Kazakhstan?
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/M. Japaridze
Kazakhstan
The Kazakh flag features a flying steppe eagle and a bright yellow sun set in a field of sky blue, with typical Kazakh ornamentation. The banner was introduced after Kazakhstan broke off from the Soviet Union in 1992. Palau's flag is similar, consisting of a simple yellow circle on a light blue field. However, in that case the circle represents a full moon, and not the sun.
Red, blue and a constellation of stars
Do these stars remind you of anything? If yes, you might have a clue to guess the country for this flag. Is it Kosovo, Samoa or Burkina Faso?
Image: picture-alliance/K.-H.Eiferle
Samoa
The Southern Cross, a constellation only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, is featured on the flag of Samoa. The island state is located northeast of former colonial ruler New Zealand, which also features the stars on its flag. Samoa is the birthplace of Albert Wendt, the author and literary professor who has fought for the recognition of culture from the Pacific region.
Green, white, red – and a yellow star
Is this the flag of Burkina Faso? Maybe it's Ghana, or Suriname? All feature a star, but only one looks like this.
Image: picture-alliance/E.Troon
Suriname
A golden star for a golden future? Suriname is located in South America, between Guyana, French Guiana and Brazil. Once a colony of the Netherlands, the official language is still Dutch. The country has been independent since 1975. Today, Suriname has an estimated population of around half a million people. So, how many flags were you able to correctly identify?
