2015–16 New Zealand flag referendums have markedly low attendance. The consideration panel noted strong online engagement with over 850,000 visits to the website and 1,180,000 engagements on social media. The panel reported that feedback found the themes of freedom, history, equality, respect and family to be the most significant to New Zealanders, however it was later revealed that those themes were dwarfed by the amount of feedback critical of the flag change process. From the submitted designs they found the most common colours were white, blue, red, black, and green. The most common elements incorporated into the flag designs were the Southern Cross, silver fern,
Flag of the Governor-General of New Zealand the timing coinciding with the official observance of the Queen's birthday. It is a blue field featuring the shield of the coat of arms surmounted by a Royal Crown (depicted as St Edward's Crown) in the centre. The previous design was deemed to be too 'colonial' and lacking in New Zealand elements. The new design was flown for first time at ceremonies at Government House, Auckland on 5 June 2008 and at Government House, Wellington on 17 June 2008. The flag of the Governor-General occupies the same position in New Zealand that a Royal Standard does in the United Kingdom.