The design beat four other contenders in a nation-wide referendum, according to preliminary results released by the New Zealand Electoral Commission.
Simply titled “Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue)”, the design will go head-to-head with the existing flag in a second referendum in March next year.
“While this is a preliminary result, New Zealanders can now turn their attention to deciding whether to keep the current flag, or replace it,” Deputy Prime Minister Bill English said.
