Flag Consideration Panel and Final Designs Feature

national symbol: The current New Zealand flag, according to CNN. Culled from a pool of over 10,000 submissions by an aptly named "Flag Consideration Panel," three of the four final designs feature a prominent fern leaf -- a national symbol that also recalls a flag popular among the country rugby fans. The island nation government unveiled the shortlisted designs at a ceremony Tuesday, a key step in a multi-million-dollar campaign to replace the current flag that Prime Minister John Key has complained looks too much like Australia national emblem. The fourth design features a black and white koru -- a Maori symbol reminiscent of curled fern frond. A disgrace' But New Zealanders haven't shown a great deal of enthusiasm for change. New Zealanders will get to make their choice later this year -- and the winner will face off in a poll against the current flag in 2016. (news.financializer.com). As reported in the news.