It’s better and more distinctive than the current flag, but probably not enough so to justify changing, for most people.
They need to have Lord of the Rings in there somewhere
Taken from current perspective it looks like two emojis. Of course like all emojis I have no idea what the hell it is supposed to mean.
It’s the Southern Cross (a constellation mainly visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and a part of their original flag) and a national plant called the silver fern which is unique to New Zealand, a long time unofficial national symbol. It’s used by all their sports teams, and wiki says it’s also used on their dollar coin and in their coat of arms, which I did not know.
It’s also apparently based on another flag that won a popularity contest in 2004-05. The difference is that the top-left swatch changed from red to black. Black is an unofficial national color, possibly due to their rugby team, the All Blacks (which also uses the fern). It’s a fairly uncommon flag color, which may be why it is included.
The red white and blue I think come from the original flag and carry the same meaning. (I can’t find an official guide to check).
I can see where the idea comes from, but I don’t see the Fern and Southern Cross as any sort of “compromise” or we can’t decide so put both.
The Fern is significant culturally - a symbol of good luck and protection,
While the Southern Cross is carried over from the current flag.
This particular flag was / is my first choice, and if I can get myself organised will be voting for it.
Yeah, I gotta admit this is a good choice, of the five.
No new flag, 56.6% to 43.2%.
Hurrah! I’m glad they made the correct decision. Changing the flag was a terrible, terrible idea and everyone responsible for trying to make it happen should be ashamed of themselves, IMHO.
Well, that was a colossal waste of time and money.
I’m actually surprised the voting was that close.
Me too. I was expecting something closer to 65-35 in favour of keeping the current flag. Still, the referendum came up with the correct answer so I think I shall go and find a nice bottle of something from the Marlborough region to celebrate. 
I like your thinking! 
A nice Sauvignon Blanc from Villa Maria works well!
I don’t think changing the flag was a bad idea at all, its heart was in the right place. I just think the final choices were designed like logos instead of representing cultural identity and history.
Can you make wine out of ferns?
Bother. I would have liked to see a new flag, but I wasn’t too thrilled about the final choices. They could have put in a ‘none of the above’ option.
Yeah, I think this result says more about the mechanics of the process than the core notion of a new flag.
Eh, there had to be -some- process, and there would always be issues with it, wouldn’t it? At least it allowed for direct consultation on the final choice. In other places some committee would make a decision and it would just get rammed at the citizenry.
Shoulda gone with the kiwi with laser bolt eyes as the alternative.
I was fond of this excerpt from an article (http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/top/299864/how-the-world-saw-nz’s-flag-decision) on reaction from NZ and elsewhere:
*"The chair of Change The New Zealand Flag, Lewis Holden, said that meant the campaign won the debate about national identity last night.
"I’m really actually ecstatic at this result. It’s not necessarily the result that we wanted, but what it showed is that there is sentiment for change.
“New Zealanders actually said ‘maybe not now, but in the future, we will change our flag’.”"*
New Zealanders actually said, 'We prefer to stick with the flag as it is." Assuming that 57% is still greater than 43%. But let that pass…
In other news, the final score in San Antonio for the NBA game tonight was Spurs 110, Grizzlies 104. Grizzlies fans were ecstatic, as the result means that they may actually defeat the Spurs someday.