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Fresh from an unsuccessful attempt to adopt a new flag, New Zealand has changed tack and is now demanding that Australia change theirs.

“We had a flag that we’ve had for a long time, copied by Australia, and they should actually change their flag and honour the fact that we got there first with this design,” New Zealand’s acting prime minister Winston Peters said this week in an interview with Television New Zealand.

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In truth, the flags of both countries are virtually identical. Both feature the union jack, a blue background and a representation of the Southern Cross star constellation.

Photo by File

The only discernable difference is that New Zealand’s stars are red and feature five points, while Australia’s stars are white, more plentiful and are mostly seven-pointed.

The inevitable result is that the flags are constantly confused at international meetings or events.

When New Zealand slalom canoeist Luuka Jones won silver at the Rio Olympics, officials commemorated her with an Australian flag.