The New Zealand government is currently considering changing one of its national symbols, the national flag. The government announced on Aug. 10 the 40 possible designs out of 10,000 submitted entries.
The designs were chosen by an independent body as the government prepares for a vote that could result in changing the country's national flag, according to the Washington Post.
The 40 accepted designs share something in common. Each of them features a combination of a silver fern leaf, the Koru and the Southern Cross.
Silver ferns are native to New Zealand and can be found throughout the country. The silver fern has become synonymous with New Zealand that almost all of its national sports team, including the famed All Blacks rugby team, features the leaf on their uniform.
The Koru is a spiral symbol that is associated with the native inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori's. The Koru design shows an unfurling fern frond which suggests perpetual movement and the continuous cycle of life. The Koru is also embedded on Air New Zealand's logo.
The Southern Cross is a constellation visible only in the southern hemisphere. Of the three common subjects in the suggested designs of the New Zealand flag, only the Southern Cross is depicted on the current flag of the country.
The New Zealand government wants to change its current flag design as it commonly confused with the flag of Australia. Additionally, the current national flag bears the Union Jack which is a reminder of its colonial past, a historical fact that New Zealanders wants to put behind them.
On the other hand, a significant number of New Zealanders wants to keep the current flag. Most of these are veterans who fought in several conflicts involving New Zealand using the current flag. Other groups consider the change as a diversionary tactics in order to distract people away from more pressing issues, according to the New York Times.