6. What was the story of the New Zealand flag?

New Zealand’s first flag was an initiative of British Resident James Busby after an unregistered New Zealand ship was seized in Australia. A selection of three or four designs was sent from Australia, and chiefs chose one at a meeting on March 20, 1834. The flag was of a St George's Cross with another cross in the canton containing four stars on a blue field. After the treaty was signed, the British Union Jack flag became the de facto flag of the colony of New Zealand. The current flag was designed and adopted for restricted use in 1869 and became the national flag in 1902. The Busby flag, also known as the flag of the united tribes, was adopted by the Shaw, Savill and Albion Steamship Company, a British shipping company that operated ships between Britain, Australia and New Zealand until the late 1960s.