Silver fern flag

New Zealand officially boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics as part of the US-led boycott of the games.

[2] Hasler's proposal was backed by then Prime Minister Jenny Shipley.

[3] Along with the New Zealand Tourism Board, Shipley backed a white silver fern on a black background as a possible alternative flag, along the lines of the Canadian Maple Leaf flag.

New Zealand Prime Minister John Key preferred the All Blacks version of the silver fern flag, but opponents of the design believe it gives undue emphasis to the country's sport, or resembles a pirate flag or the Islamic Black Standard as used by ISIL.

[4] In January 2005, the NZ Flag.com Trust, using a stylised silver fern flag designed by Cameron Sanders, launched a petition to initiate a referendum on the flag issue, but failed to attract enough signatures.