National colours of New Zealand facts for kids
The national colours of New Zealand include black, white (or silver), and red ochre. These colours are important symbols seen on flags, awards, and even sports team uniforms.
Contents
History of New Zealand's Colours
The main flag of New Zealand is mostly dark blue. This blue stands for the sea and the sky around the islands. In the top left corner, there's a smaller flag called the Union Flag. It has red and white colours. This part of the flag shows that New Zealand was settled by people mainly from Britain after it became a British colony in 1840. The four red stars with white outlines on the flag represent the Southern Cross constellation, which can be seen in the night sky over New Zealand. This flag is flown at government buildings and schools. It is also used on important national days, like ANZAC Day.
The Māori are the original people of New Zealand. They are of Polynesian origin. Their traditional colours are black, white, and red.
Red Ochre: A Special Colour
On March 13, 1975, a special award called the Queen's Service Order was created. With this new award, red ochre was officially recognized as a national colour for awards. This colour is very important to the Māori people. They call it kōkōwai and it has a deep spiritual meaning for them.
The Māori Flag
In 1989, a group called Te Kawariki held a competition. They wanted to design a national Māori flag. The flag that was chosen became linked with the tino rangatiratanga movement. This movement is about Māori self-determination. This flag has slowly become a symbol for Māori people all over New Zealand. It is still known as the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag.
In 2009, the Minister of Māori Affairs suggested that a Māori flag should fly at the Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day. Waitangi Day is New Zealand's National Day. On December 14, 2009, the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag was officially chosen as the preferred Māori flag by the government. On Waitangi Day in 2012, it was flown for the first time at the Wellington Town Hall. The mayor of Wellington hoped this would become a long-lasting tradition.
National Decorations and Awards
New Zealand uses its national colours in many special awards and medals. These include the Queen's Service Order and the Queen's Service Medal. Other awards that use these colours are the Order of New Zealand, the New Zealand Order of Merit, the New Zealand Operational Service Medal, the New Zealand War Service Medal, and the New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949.
Ribbons with National Colours
The Queen's Service Order and Queen's Service Medal both have a unique ribbon. This ribbon has stripes of red ochre (kokowhai), white, and black. These stripes go down in a step pattern from left to right. This design is based on a Māori pattern called Poutama.
Other military medals also use black and white ribbons. These include the New Zealand Operational Service Medal, the New Zealand War Service Medal, and the New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949.
Branding and Companies
New Zealand's national colours are also used by companies. They help show a connection to the country.
Air New Zealand's New Look
In August 2012, Air New Zealand changed the look of its planes. They changed their main colours from teal to black. They also updated their typeface (the style of their letters). However, they kept their famous Koru symbol, which is a Māori design. The first plane to be repainted was an ATR 72-600. It was painted almost completely black. An Airbus A320 delivered in June 2013 was the first plane to have a white body with a black tail.
The new letters on the planes were designed by Kris Sowersby's company, Klim Type Foundry. These letters are black and appear on the white part of each plane.
Sports Teams and Their Colours
Many of New Zealand's national sports teams are known for wearing black.
Black Teams
Some of the famous "black" teams include:
- The men's rugby union team, known as the All Blacks.
- The men's cricket team, called the Black Caps.
- The men's basketball team, known as the Tall Blacks.
- The men's softball team, called the Black Sox.
- The men's baseball team, known as the Diamondblacks.
- The men's ice hockey team, called the Ice Blacks.
- The men's field hockey team, known as the Black Sticks Men.
- The women's rugby union team, called the Black Ferns.
- The women's field hockey team, known as the Black Sticks Women.
White Teams
White is also used for some sports team uniforms. For example, in Association football, team colours cannot be the same as the referee's uniform during FIFA tournaments. Because of this, the men's football team wears white uniforms. They are known as the All Whites.
Other teams that use white include:
- The women's softball team, known as the White Sox.
- The women's cricket team, called the White Ferns.
At the 2020 Summer Olympics, New Zealand rowers wore white tops instead of black. This was to help them stay cooler in Tokyo's hot and humid weather.
Other Sport Colours
In the 1980s, the national cricket team used to wear beige and brown uniforms. Sometimes, New Zealand sports teams also use teal as an extra colour. This colour is also connected to other organizations, like Air New Zealand.
In motor racing, New Zealand's national colours are green and white. The green is based on British racing green.
