The inclusion of a fifth design to the flag referendum will cost an extra $380,000, as voting materials referencing four designs must be reprinted.

Legislation was passed in Parliament this week allowing for an additional design to be added to the voting paper for the first referendum, expected to take place in March.

The total cost of both flag referendums was expected to reach $26 million.



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The Red Peak design was intended to be added as the fifth choice as an option to replace the current flag, after a groundswell of public support put pressure on politicians to include it.

The Electoral Commission had spent $348,000 to date developing and testing the referendum vote processing system.

The inclusion of Red Peak would cost another $380,000, with the development and testing of changes to the vote processing system set to cost $100,000.

Redesigning, reprinting and retranslating materials about enrolment and voting that referenced four voting options would cost $280,000.

No ballot papers had been printed.

Prime Minister John Key earlier in the week said he would likely vote for Red Peak over the current flag, if it emerged the highest ranked design out of the first referendum.

But not all his colleagues share his enthusiasm for it.

National MP Judith Collins said on the Paul Henry Show on Friday that she was a fan of the current flag, while Red Peak "looks like something [Zimbabwean President] Robert Mugabe would dream up".