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Story: Flags

Flag confusion

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Flag confusion

One of the criticisms levelled at the New Zealand flag is that it is too similar to other Commonwealth countries' flags, particularly Australia's. The New Zealand flag features four red stars and the Australian flag six white stars, both representing the Southern Cross constellation, while the remaining elements of the flags are the same. Though the stars are different, the similarities are enough to confuse those who are not familiar with the flags' detail. This cartoon, published in 2005, nicely illustrates this confusion. Perhaps appropriately, the cartoonist himself has confused the star issue – his Australian flag has five stars instead of six.

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David Fletcher

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Flags – Changing the flag, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/cartoon/33987/flag-confusion (accessed 19 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 14 March 2012.