See 15 Bizarre Entries for New Zealand’s New Flag Design Referendum

Next year, New Zealand will hold a binding referendum to debate whether the design of their national flag should change.

Differentiated only by the placement of its stars, the similarity of New Zealand’s flag to neighboring Australia’s has been a long-running source of frustration for the nation. Both countries share a union flag-based design, influenced by former colonial rulers Great Britain.

In the run up to such a momentous decision, the government has launched a website where New Zealanders can submit their own designs, the Guardian reports. And there are quite a few special submissions among the entries.

Many entries feature creatures from the animal kingdom, though some are more recognizable than others. There is also an entry featuring a QR code, another showing a pentagram, and various examples reminiscent of Op-Art.

New Zealand prime minister John Key has made the flag referendum a top priority. For the first part of the referendum—which will cost the nation a total of $25 million—an independent flag panel will assess all entries and shortlist four, which will be then ranked by citizens.

In the second part of the referendum, scheduled for March 2016, New Zealanders will vote to decide whether they want to keep the current flag or adopt the winning alternative design.

See a selection of alternative flag designs in the slideshow above.

Article topics