How many stars are on the flag of New Zealand? There are four. They represent the four principal stars of the Southern Cross, a constellation strongly associated with navigation and the southern Pacific.
New Zealand's flag places the four red stars, each edged in white, on the fly side of a royal-blue field. The Union Jack occupies the upper hoist corner, reflecting the country's historical connection with the United Kingdom and its former status as a British colony.
The stars differ from those on Australia's flag, which has five white stars forming the Southern Cross plus a larger Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Jack. New Zealand's four stars also have red centers, making the two flags easier to distinguish when viewed closely.
The Southern Cross design was proposed by Royal Navy officer Albert Hastings Markham in 1869. The flag was formally adopted under the New Zealand Ensign Act 1901, approved on 24 March 1902. Earlier, the 1834 Flag of the United Tribes of New Zealand also used four stars, though it was a different design.