Quote Originally Posted by NZdick1983 View Post
I agree with SA. It's a sport's logo, not a flag.

If you don't think too deeply (as we farang tend to over-think shit) it's ok (ish)
at first glance like...

But when one thinks about it, it's far too common and unsophisticated IMHO.
Who wants sophisticated?

Just as long as that Union Jack goes I'm happy.

The Silver Fern rocks!

Māori hunters and warriors used the silver underside of the fern leaves to find their way home. When bent over, the fronds would catch the moonlight and illuminate a path through the forest.

This distinctly New Zealand symbol is considered a badge of honour by the people, products and services of our country that carry it.

It has been the symbol of New Zealand’s national rugby team since the 1880s and is now proudly worn by all our top athletes and prominently carried by many of our top companies.
In culture[edit]
The earliest uses of the silver fern were adopted by the New Zealand Army during the Second Boer War. Since then, the silver fern has been used by the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces during both World Wars and all Commonwealth war graves of fallen New Zealand soldiers have the silver fern engraved on their tombstones. During the 1956 Suez Crisis, Egyptians took exception to New Zealand and Canadian peacekeepers having the Union Flag on their uniforms. Canadian troops wore the Maple Leaf whereas the New Zealand contingent wore a silver fern symbol. New Zealand peacekeepers have since used both the silver fern and kiwi symbols for different deployments to differentiate from their Australian and British counterparts.
The silver fern has long been used on dairy products, including the logo of New Zealand Natural, and was trademarked as early as 1885.
Silver fern leaves appear on the coat of arms of New Zealand.
It is a logo for many other organisations, such as (heavily stylised) the rail operator KiwiRail. The Silver Fern is also the name of a class of railcar.
Many New Zealanders get a tattoo of a Silver Fern, as a statement of being from New Zealand.[citation needed]
Some alternative flags for New Zealand, such as the silver fern flag, use the silver fern. The official proposal of the New Zealand flag referendums, 2015–16 featured the fern.
The silver fern is also used extensively within politics and printed material, such as the logo of the former New Zealand Progressive Party.

Koru or unfurling frond of Silver fern
The koru symbol is inspired by the shape of an unfurling silver fern frond. It is found extensively in Māori art, and is used in a stylised form as the logo for national airline Air New Zealand.
In short, the fern has become one of the most widely recognised symbols of New Zealand, next to the Kiwi, though it is not an official symbol.[2]