The flag of New Zealand consists of a dark blue base with a British Union Jack in the upper left quarter. On the right side of the flag are four, five-point red stars outlined in white. The stars are positioned to represent a southern cross.

Meaning:
The Union Jack represents New Zealand's British Commonwealth heritage. The Blue background symbolizes the sea and sky. The four stars symbolizing the constellation 'the Southern Cross', represent the stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. The Southern Cross is a prominent constellation in the southern hemisphere, and represents New Zealand's geographical position to the rest of the world.

History:
The New Zealand flag was adopted on June 12, 1902 but the flag was actually introduced in 1869. New Zealand gained independence from Britain on September 26, 1907. Until 1865, New Zealand used the British Union Jack as its flag. In 1867 a flag similar to the current one was introduced with the letters NZ on it. The letters were then replaced by the four stars in 1869.

Interesting Facts:
There have been several attempts to change the flag of New Zealand since 1973, however, by New Zealand law, a 65 per cent majority vote is needed to change the New Zealand flag. So far this has not happened as most people oppose changing New Zealand's flag (source: worldflags101).