National colours of New Zealand

Image:Tino Rangatiratanga Maori sovereignty movement flag.svg, in the traditional Māori colours of red, black, and white]]

The national colours of the Māori, an indigenous people of Polynesian origin in New Zealand, are black, white and red.{{sfn|Rout|Hohepa Te Rake|1926|p=84}}

On 13 March 1975, the Queen's Service Order was created by royal warrant.{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: The Queen's Service Order}} With the institution of the Queen's Service Order, red ochre was "given official sanction as a national orders colour".{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Orders Insignia}} This colour has spiritual importance to the Māori{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Orders Insignia}} by whom it is known as kōkōwai.{{sfn|Morris|2011}}{{sfn|Moorfield}}{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: The Queen's Service Order}}

In 1989, a competition was run by a group named Te Kawariki to design a national Māori flag. The chosen flag became associated with the tino rangatiratanga or Māori sovereignty movement.{{sfn|Te Puni Kōkiri|2009}} It has gradually become a representative flag for Māori across New Zealand, but is still known as the Tino Rangatiratanga flag. In 2009, the Minister of Māori Affairs stated that a Māori flag should be flown at Auckland Harbour Bridge on Waitangi Day,{{sfn|Te Puni Kōkiri|2010}} the National Day of New Zealand. The Tino Rangatiratanga flag was recognised as the preferred Māori flag by Cabinet on 14 December 2009.{{sfn|Te Puni Kōkiri|2010}} On Waitangi Day 2012, it was flown for the first time at the Wellington Town Hall, and the mayor of Wellington said that it should be the "start of a long-running tradition".{{sfn|The Dominion Post|2012}}

In addition to the Queen's Service Order, decorations that include or consist of the national colours are the Order of New Zealand,{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Orders Insignia}} the New Zealand Order of Merit{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Orders Insignia}} the New Zealand Operational Service Medal,{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: Operational Service Medal}} the New Zealand War Service Medal,{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: War Service Medal}} and the New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949.{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: Service Medal}}

The Queen's Service Order and Queen's Service Medal both have a ribbon with "central alternating stripes of red ochre (kokowhai), white and black in a descending step pattern from left to right" with a Māori Poutama motif.{{sfn|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: The Queen's Service Order}}

The military decorations New Zealand Operational Service Medal, New Zealand War Service Medal, and New Zealand Service Medal 1946–1949 all have black and white ribbons drawn from the national colours.{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: Operational Service Medal}}{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: Service Medal}}{{sfn|New Zealand Defence Force: War Service Medal}}

File:Air New Zealand Airbus A320 Nazarinia-2.jpg (All Blacks) in 2011, with the slogan Crazy about rugby]]

In August 2012, Air New Zealand introduced its new livery, changing its corporate colours from teal to black, changing its typeface, but retaining the iconic Koru symbol.{{sfn|Air New Zealand}} The first plane to be repainted, an ATR 72–600, was painted almost entirely in black.{{sfn|Weekes|2012}} An Airbus A320, to be delivered in June 2013, will be the first plane to feature white body and black tail livery.{{sfn|Weekes|2012}}

The typeface, designed by Kris Sowersby's foundry Klim Type Foundry,{{sfn|Air New Zealand}} will consist of black lettering on the white body of each plane.

Many of the national sport teams of New Zealand are associated with the colour black. These include the men's rugby union team (All Blacks),{{sfn|New Zealand Rugby Union: All Blacks}} men's cricket team (Black Caps), men's basketball team (Tall Blacks),Basketball New Zealand men's softball team (Black Sox),{{sfn|Softball New Zealand: Black Sox}} men's baseball team (Diamondblacks),{{sfn|Fairfax New Zealand News|2012}} men's ice hockey team (Ice Blacks),{{sfn|New Zealand Ice Hockey}} men's field hockey team (Black Sticks Men),{{sfn|Hockey New Zealand}}women's rugby union team (Black Ferns) and women's field hockey team (Black Sticks Women).{{sfn|Hockey New Zealand}}

In 2004, Badminton New Zealand tried to brand itself as The Black Cocks, an association to the sport's shuttlecock, as a gimmick to garner attention and sponsorships.{{sfn|Watson|2005}} It drew sponsorship interest from condom manufacturers, but the International Badminton Federation objected to the name,{{sfn|Watson|2005}} which has since been abandoned.

White is also used for sport team colours. Because uniform colours in Association football cannot clash with referee uniforms in FIFA tournaments,{{sfn|FIFA|p=20}}{{sfn|FIFA: Equipment Regulations|p=21}} the men's football team uses white uniforms and is known as the All Whites. The women's softball team is known as the White Sox,{{sfn|Softball New Zealand: White Sox}} and the women's cricket team is known as the White Ferns. At the 2020 Summer Olympics, New Zealand rowers wore white tops instead of black to help counteract Tokyo's hot and humid climate.{{Cite web|last=McFadden|first=Suzanne|date=2021-07-23|title=The Tokyo Lowdown: Day Zero|url=https://www.newsroom.co.nz/lockerroom/page/the-tokyo-lowdown-day-zero|access-date=2021-08-03|website=Newsroom|language=en-AU}}{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Ian|date=2021-08-01|title=Munich memories flood back as New Zealand win rowing eight Olympics gold again|url=https://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/olympics/300370673/munich-memories-flood-back-as-new-zealand-win-rowing-eight-olympics-gold-again|access-date=2021-08-03|website=Stuff|language=en}}

In the 1980s, the national cricket team wore beige and brown as their colours.{{Cite web|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/cricket-the-birth-of-the-beige/TNPXPYA7USBPZGUXEAJXBJSU6U/|title=Cricket: The birth of the beige|date=24 January 2015 }}

New Zealand sports teams have occasionally used teal as an accent colour, most notably in cricket. The same colour also has connections with other organisations such as Air New Zealand (see above).

File:Auto racing color NZ.png

In motorracing, New Zealand's national colours are green (based on British racing green) and white.

{{Reflist|3}}

{{refbegin|2}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.maoridictionary.co.nz/index.cfm?dictionaryKeywords=Kokowai|title=Kokowai|work=Māori Dictionary Online|last=Moorfield|first=John C.|accessdate=2013-03-22}}
• {{cite book|title=Austral English: A Dictionary of Australasian Words, Phrases and Usages|last=Morris|first=Edward Ellis|edition=reissue|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2011|isbn=9781108028790}}
• {{cite book|title=Maori symbolism: being an account of the origin, migration, and culture of the New Zealand Maori as recorded in certain sacred legends|last1=Rout|first1=Ettie Annie|last2=Hohepa Te Rake|publisher=Harcout, Brace and Co.|year=1926}}
• {{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10345531|title=Badminton: Black Cocks name reconsidered|last=Watson|first=Martyn|agency=New Zealand Press Association|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|publisher=APN Holdings|date=14 September 2005|accessdate=2013-03-20}}
• {{cite news|url=http://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=10824620|title=Black fails to take off for Air NZ staff|last=Weekes|first=John|newspaper=The New Zealand Herald|publisher=APN Holdings NZ|date=5 August 2012|accessdate=2013-03-20}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.theflyingsocialnetwork.com/archives/3357|title=Air New Zealand's Distinctive Aircraft Tails Go Black|publisher=Air New Zealand|date=20 July 2012|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Air New Zealand}}|url-status=dead|archive-url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20120728182101/http%3A//theflyingsocialnetwork.com/archives/3357|archive-date=28 July 2012}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.basketball.org.nz/national-teams/|title=National teams|publisher=Basketball New Zealand|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|BNZ}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/design-insignia|title=Design of The New Zealand Orders Insignia|publisher=New Zealand Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: Orders Insignia}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2011_12_en.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111027015530/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/affederation/generic/81/42/36/lawsofthegame_2011_12_en.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 27, 2011|title=Laws of the Game 2011/2012|publisher=FIFA|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|FIFA}} }}
• {{cite web|url=https://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/51/54/30/equipment_reg_26032010_en.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100827113535/http://www.fifa.com/mm/document/tournament/competition/51/54/30/equipment%5Freg%5F26032010%5Fen.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 27, 2010|title=Equipment Regulations|publisher=FIFA|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|FIFA: Equipment Regulations}} }}
• {{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-sports/7967919/Plenty-of-positives-for-Diamondblacks-despite-loss|title=Plenty of positives for Diamondblacks despite loss |publisher=Fairfax New Zealand News|date=19 November 2012|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Fairfax New Zealand News|2012}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.hockeynz.co.nz/Black-Sticks|title=Black Sticks|publisher=Hockey New Zealand|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Hockey New Zealand}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/category/c/c2.html|title=New Zealand Campaign Medals – The New Zealand Operational Service Medal|publisher=New Zealand Defence Force|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|New Zealand Defence Force: Operational Service Medal}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/category/c/c3.html|title=New Zealand Campaign Medals – The New Zealand Service Medal 1946 – 1949|publisher=New Zealand Defence Force|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|New Zealand Defence Force: Service Medal}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://medals.nzdf.mil.nz/category/c/c1.html|title=New Zealand Campaign Medals – The New Zealand War Service Medal|publisher=New Zealand Defence Force|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|New Zealand Defence Force: War Service Medal}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.nzicehockey.co.nz/teams.html|title=New Zealand ice hockey teams|publisher=New Zealand Ice Hockey|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|New Zealand Ice Hockey}}|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130225075422/http://www.nzicehockey.co.nz/teams.html|archive-date=2013-02-25}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.allblacks.com/index.cfm?layout=team|title=All Blacks|publisher=New Zealand Rugby Union|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|New Zealand Rugby Union: All Blacks}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/qso|title=The Queen's Service Order|publisher=The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Government of New Zealand|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet: The Queen's Service Order}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.softball.org.nz/Sox+Nation/Black+Sox.html|title=Black Sox|publisher=Softball New Zealand|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Softball New Zealand: Black Sox}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.softball.org.nz/Sox+Nation/White+Sox+news.html|title=White Sox|publisher=Softball New Zealand|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Softball New Zealand: White Sox}} }}
• {{cite news|url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/6371656/Tino-Rangatiratanga-flag-flown-in-Wellington|title=Tino Rangatiratanga flag flown in Wellington|newspaper=The Dominion Post|publisher=Fairfax New Zealand|date=6 February 2012|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|The Dominion Post|2012}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/in-focus/archive/maoriflag/|title=Guidelines for Flying the National Māori Flag|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development)|date=11 January 2010|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Te Puni Kōkiri|2010}} }}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.tpk.govt.nz/en/consultation/maoriflag/tinorangatiratanga/|title=The Māori Flag (the Tino Rangatiratanga Flag)|publisher=Te Puni Kōkiri (Ministry of Māori Development)|date=14 July 2009|accessdate=2013-03-20|ref={{sfnref|Te Puni Kōkiri|2009}} }}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.office.xerox.com/small-business/tips/color-guide/new-zealand/enus.html International Color Guide – New Zealand] at Xerox

{{National colours}}

Category:National colours

Category:National symbols of New Zealand