New Zealand flag debate flag with a silver fern on the fly. The proposal attracted little support. In 1988, Minister of Foreign Affairs Russell Marshall made a call for a flag change, which also had little effect. The "New Zealand Listener" magazine held a flag design contest in 1989, attracting nearly 600 entries. Out of the seven semi-finalists, which included the national flag and the United Tribes Flag, the national flag won with a minority vote of 45.6%. In February 1992, the former Minister of Māori Affairs, Matiu Rata, called for a flag change "to re-establish our national identity". In 1998, Prime Minister Jenny
National colours of New Zealand It has gradually become a representative flag for Māori across New Zealand, but is still known as the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag. In 2009, the Minister of Māori Affairs stated that a Māori flag should be flown at Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day, the National Day of New Zealand. The Tino Rangatiratanga Flag was recognised as the preferred Māori flag by Cabinet on 14 December 2009. On Waitangi Day 2012, it was flown for the first time at the Wellington Town Hall, and the mayor of Wellington said that it should be the "start of a long-running tradition". In addition