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
National colours of New Zealand ANZAC day. The national colours of the Māori, an indigenous people of Polynesian origin in New Zealand, are black, white and red. On 13 March 1975, the Queen's Service Order was created by royal warrant. With the institution of the Queen's Service Order, red ochre was "given official sanction as a national orders colour". This colour has spiritual importance to the Māori by whom it is known as "kōkōwai". In 1989, a competition was run by a group named Te Kawariki to design a national Māori flag. The chosen flag became associated with the tino rangatiratanga or Māori sovereignty movement.