The Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force all have special flags. The flags flying in this photo are the versions that were used when Queen Elizabeth or her New Zealand representative – the governor-general – was present. They were flown at the swearing-in of Governor-General Sir Jerry Mateparae on 31 August 2011. These flags were called the Queen's Colours and were embellished with a crown or the Queen's initials ('ER', standing for Elizabeth Regina) and other decorative elements. The Queen's Colour of the Royal New Zealand Navy is at left, the Queen's Colour of the 1st Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is in the middle and the Queen's Colour of the Royal New Zealand Air Force is at right. The more commonly flown military flags did not have the Queen's symbols on them. The Navy unveiled a new Queen's Colour on 1 October 2011.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Te Ara – The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
by Melanie Lovell-Smith
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