One less Union Jack, says NY Times

The New York Times has entered the debate about whether New Zealand should change its flag.

In an editorial titled "Maybe One Less Union Jack" the newspaper says the New Zealand Herald was on the mark when it urged Prime Minister John Key to go bold and not leave momentous aesthetic decisions in the hands of a committee of politicians.

"For practitioners of vexillology - the study of flags - an opportunity like this does not come often, and they are surely eager to make the most of it," the newspaper says.

The current flag proclaims New Zealand as a South Pacific outpost of the British Empire, and is often mistaken for Australia's flag, the New York Times says.

Mr Key favours the design of a silver fern on a black background.

He says there won't be a referendum on changing the flag at September's general election but, if National is re-elected, the public will have its say in the next parliamentary term.

The New Zealand blue ensign, incorporating a stylised representation of the Southern Cross showing the four brightest stars in the constellation, dates to 1869 and was in restricted use until it was legislated as the national flag in 1902.