Flag of New Zealand majority of 65 percent of votes in Parliament before any future legislation could change the flag. The Bill passed its first reading but was defeated at its second reading, 26 votes to 37. In 1998 Prime Minister Jenny Shipley backed Cultural Affairs Minister Marie Hasler's call for the flag to be changed. Shipley, along with the New Zealand Tourism Board, backed the quasi-national silver fern flag, using a white silver fern on a black background as a possible alternative flag, along the lines of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag. On 5 August 2010 Labour list MP Charles Chauvel introduced a
Vehicle registration plates of New Zealand license number, thus potentially perpetrating advertising. Several Maori iwi promote identity and traditional graphic designs in frames. Several New Zealand web sites now offer Number-plate lookup systems to access the data stored when registering a vehicle. Most of these services are free and available to the public. Vehicle registration plates of New Zealand In New Zealand, vehicle registration plates (usually called number plates) contain up to six alphanumeric characters, depending on the type of vehicle and the date of registration. To be operated on (or parked on) any public road, most types of motor vehicles and trailers must be registered