2015–16 New Zealand flag referendums between the selected alternative (the Silver Fern Flag) and the existing New Zealand flag. The final decision was to keep the current flag. Reception of the process was critical, with no great enthusiasm shown among the public. New Zealand has a history of debate about whether the national flag should be changed. For several decades, alternative designs have been proposed, with varying degrees of support. There is no consensus among proponents of changing the flag as to which design should replace the flag. In January 2014, Prime Minister John Key floated the idea of a referendum on a new flag
Flag of New Zealand the Colonial Naval Defence Act 1865, they must fly the Royal Navy Blue Ensign but that they must also include on the flag the seal or badge of the colony. New Zealand did not have a colonial badge, or indeed a coat of arms of its own at this stage, and so in 1867 the letters "NZ" were simply added to the blue ensign. In 1869 the then First Lieutenant of the Royal Navy vessel "Blanche", Albert Hastings Markham, submitted a design to Sir George Bowen, the Governor of New Zealand, for a national ensign for New Zealand. His proposal,