--- description: Mail-in voting has begun for New Zealanders picking their nation's next flag title: New Zealanders Vote for a New Flag image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79e3aa3f10a8dc2a/6988721e0b72e3c18a6e6eda/gettyimages-458021950.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [New Zealand](/tag/new-zealand/) ## New Zealand Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Voting Begins for New Zealanders to Choose a New National Flag by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2015 7:16 AM CUT  The current New Zealand flag flutters outside outside the New Zealand Post building in Wellington on Oct. 29, 2014 The current New Zealand flag flutters outside outside the New Zealand Post building in Wellington on Oct. 29, 2014Marty Melville—AFP/Getty Images by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 20, 2015 7:16 AM CUT Mail voting has [begun](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34876354 "undefined") for New Zealanders to pick a new national flag, with all five candidate designs dropping the U.K.’s Union Jack, which is tucked in a corner of the current design. Voters have just under a month to make their choice, reports the BBC. The poll spurs from public aversion to the existing flag, which many see as a remnant of colonial repression. Some also complain the current design is too similar to neighboring Australia’s [flag](http://www.itsanhonour.gov.au/symbols/flag.cfm "undefined"). A special panel received more than 10,000 designs for its open competition, with the shortlisted options now being flown around the nation to give voters an idea of how they look rippling in the wind.  The five prospective designs for the new New Zealand flag Government of New Zealand However, not all New Zealanders agree with changing the flag at all, and the current vote is simply to select a challenger to the nation’s current flag. Next year, a second vote will settle whether New Zealand keeps its historic flag or adopts the new design. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key has said polling suggests the old flag could very well stand its ground. Fiji is running a similar [competition](http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/feb/04/postcolonial-yes-but-fijis-new-flag-will-also-be-a-break-with-the-chiefs-power "undefined") to replace its own flag, which also currently features the Union Jack. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/"},"headline":"Voting Begins for New Zealanders to Choose a New National Flag","datePublished":"2015-11-20T07:16:32.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:53.642Z","description":"Voters have just under a month to make their choice","url":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/","keywords":["New Zealand","vote","Design","flag"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79e3aa3f10a8dc2a/6988721e0b72e3c18a6e6eda/gettyimages-458021950.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt79e3aa3f10a8dc2a/6988721e0b72e3c18a6e6eda/gettyimages-458021950.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"NZEALAND-BRITAIN-FLAG-VOTE","caption":"NZEALAND-BRITAIN-FLAG-VOTE","creditText":"Marty Melville—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/new-zealand/","name":"New Zealand"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/","name":"Voting Begins for New Zealanders to Choose a New National Flag"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"The British Royals Through TIME","description":"Deputy managing editor Michael Elliott takes us on a tour of TIME’s coverage of all things royal from 1923 to today","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/OcXH1xum/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2011-04-29T15:19:49.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/OcXH1xum.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/","duration":"PT3M32S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4121704/new-zealand-flag-vote-design/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```