New Zealand flag debate and the New Zealand Tourism Board in 1998, and ex-Prime Minister John Key in 2010. Key later changed his preference to Kyle Lockwood's "Silver Fern (Red, White & Blue)" design, due to the similarity of the silver fern flag with the Jihadist black flag, used by Islamic extremist groups such as ISIL. Amongst the public, polls have shown that the silver fern is the most preferred alternative design for a new national flag. However, the New Zealand Flag Institute criticises the black and white silver fern design as the logo of some of New Zealand's sporting teams rather than the
Flag of New Zealand March. In this referendum, the country voted to keep the existing flag by 57% to 43%. The flag of New Zealand uses two prominent symbols: In its original usage as the flag of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Union Jack combined three heraldic crosses which represent the countries of the United Kingdom (as constituted in 1801): The Union Jack reflects New Zealand's origins as a British colony. The Southern Cross constellation is one of the striking features of the Southern Hemisphere sky, and has been used to represent New Zealand, among other Southern Hemisphere colonies, since the