New Zealand White Ensign

The national flag of New Zealand, a blue ensign

A version of a white ensign was adopted as the flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand, a confederation of Māori tribes on the North Island, by a vote in 1834 and approved by the British resident James Busby. This flag had a red Saint George's Cross and the upper canton was blue with a red cross and four eight-pointed stars in each quadrant.[1] After the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840 the British Union Flag was established as the flag of the colony and New Zealand ships followed the system of British ensigns.[2] A design based on the British Blue Ensign was introduced for New Zealand government vessels in 1867 and unintentionally became the de facto national flag.[3] When the official adoption of a national flag was discussed in the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1900 William Campbell Walker claimed that the White Ensign had not been considered as the basis of a new national flag in 1867 due to opposition from the Royal Navy, which used the ensign to identify its vessels.[4] The Blue Ensign was adopted by New Zealand officially as its national flag in 1902.[3]

The White Ensign of the Royal Navy, worn by vessels of the Royal New Zealand Navy until 1968

Unofficial New Zealand naval units that fought in the New Zealand Wars wore only a union flag. The New Zealand Naval Forces were established in 1913 but only as a division of the Royal Navy; its ships therefore wore the usual Royal Navy White Ensign. In 1921 the New Zealand vessels were granted permission to wear the national flag as a jack but, as jacks are not worn at sea, this meant ships in battle were not readily identifiable as belonging to New Zealand.[5] The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) was established as a separate force in 1941 but, due to the ongoing Second World War, there was apparently no discussion about granting it a unique ensign. The RNZN continued to use the British White Ensign including on active service during the Korean War and Malayan Emergency.[5]

In 1967 the Royal Australian Navy adopted its own unique white ensign in part because it was fighting in the Vietnam War, in which the British were not involved, effectively under a British flag.[6] This seems to have inspired a similar change in the RNZN and in 1967 Mr E.W. Jones of the Hydrographic Branch was appointed to design a white ensign for the New Zealand fleet.[5] This was approved by Elizabeth II and adopted by the New Zealand White Ensign Regulations 1968, an Order in Council made by Governor-General Arthur Porritt on 10 June 1968.[7][5] The adoption of a unique white ensign has been noted as an important step in the development of the RNZN.[5]

The New Zealand White Ensign as worn by the frigate Te Kaha

The New Zealand White Ensign, as defined in the 1968 regulations, is identical to the national flag except that the field is white instead of blue and the white border to the stars is replaced with red.[7] In common with the national flag the White Ensign is 1:2 in ratio and has the British Union flag in the canton. The colours used in the ensign are white (Pantone SAFE), red (Pantone 186C) and blue (Pantone 280C). The four stars of the Southern Cross are depicted with five points.[8]

RNZN Queen's Colour

The 1968 regulations allow the flag to be worn by ships of the New Zealand Naval Forces and flown at navy establishments.[7] In current RNZN practice the White Ensign is worn only during daylight hours but in times of war it is worn continuously.[9] It had been flown from the top of Auckland Harbour Bridge annually on 1 October since 2016 to mark the day the RNZN was founded.[10] The RNZN has also been granted a Queen's colour, which serves a similar purpose to the colours of army regiments. The colour is a variation of the White Ensign with more square proportions and the addition of a device showing the crowned royal cypher of Elizabeth II encircled by the emblem and motto of the Order of the Garter.[5]

The White Ensign may also be used by New Zealand examination vessels, though these would typically wear the Examination Service flag or the Blue Ensign.[11] In 1971 flag officers of the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron were granted the right to wear the White Ensign in recognition of the centenary of the organisation.[5] The New Zealand merchant ensign is identical to the White Ensign but with the colours of the field and stars transposed.[12]