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New Zealand Flag Institute |
There
was naturally sympathy in New South Wales for the plight of the Sir George Murray and its crew and passengers. The
weekly paper the Australian
called for legislation to remove technical obstacles to New
Zealand vessels trading with Port Jackson
(now Sydney). A temporary licence was granted in August 1831 to
the Sir George Murray allowing
her to return to Sydney to complete the trading voyage. It was clear that
there was a need for an official flag and documentation to mark New Zealand
ships.
Largely
in response to the Sir George Murray debacle,
the British official resident James Busby sought to have a flag selected by
Maori chiefs, and declared as the national ensign. A design was accordingly
sent from Port Jackson for approval. This was rejected by the chiefs because
there was no red in it– red representing chiefly authority. Three alternative
flags were designed by Rev Henry Williams, in consultation with Maori this
time. Sample flags were manufactured in Port Jackson, and shipped to New
Zealand. The 25 chiefs from the Far North gathered with their followers at
Waitangi on 20 March 1834 to choose a flag to represent New Zealand. A number
of missionaries and settlers, and the commanders of 10 British and 3 American
ships also attended. Following an address by James Busby, each chief was
called forward in turn to indicate a preference for one of three designs for
a flag, while the son of one of the chiefs recorded the votes. The
preferred design, a flag already used by the Church Missionary Society,
received 12 out of the 25 votes, with the other two designs receiving 10 and
3 votes respectively. Busby declared the chosen flag the national flag of New
Zealand, and had it hoisted on a central flagpole, accompanied by a 21 gun
salute from HMS
Alligator. This was known
as the Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand (1834-1840).
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