Red Peak flag

Red Peak flag

Other names	Red Peak, First to the Light
Proportion	1:2
Design	Simplified geometric elements based on tāniko pattern representing land, sky, inspired by Rangi and Papa mythology, and a reference to heritage from the 1902 New Zealand flag[1]
Designed by	Aaron Dustin

The Red Peak flag (also called First to the Light) is a proposed New Zealand flag that appeared as one of five options for voters to consider in the 2015–16 flag referendums.^[1] Designed by Aaron Dustin in 2015, Red Peak appeared on the government's official longlist of 40 alternative flag designs before failing a final culling of the field on 1 September 2015 to four options. After public disappointment with the official four-flag shortlist, a social media campaign was launched on 2 September that revived the flag's prospects and captured the attention of leading parliamentary figures both in government and opposition. On 23 September, Prime Minister John Key announced the government had agreed to support Green Party legislation that would add Red Peak to the referendum ballot as a fifth (and the only non-fern inspired) option.^[2]

According to its designer, the flag, which features a white chevron surrounded by red, blue, and black coloured triangles, eschews familiar New Zealand iconography such as the fern, koru, kiwi, and Southern Cross in favour of a "new" symbolic language. The design, a simplified reference to the geometric elements of tāniko pattern as well as to the star tips of the current flag, represents the uniqueness of New Zealand's land, light, and position. The white chevron refers to the collision of two tectonic plates that formed the Southern Alps, while the coloured triangles symbolize the red earth, black night, and blue dawn, a reference to the Rangi and Papa creation story in native Māori mythology. In this way, the flag also notes New Zealand's prominence as one of the first countries to "hold the light of new day".^[3] It is arguably unique amongst proposed flag alternatives in that it is the only design in the proposed five to visually represent a fusion of both British and Māori cultures, two groups which are especially prominent in New Zealand's history. After counting the preferential votes in the first flag referendum, Red Peak was eliminated after round three of the preferences.