New Zealand Has A New Flag! Check Out the Details Here [PHOTO]

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Flags are rarely the subject of a conversation, and not unless you are the great Sheldon Cooper or some whiz kid whose eidetic memory allows for the uncanny distinction of each and every nation's ensign, it is a pretty safe bet you are not going to have fun with flags.

But, lately, there has been a lot of talks and debates about it, especially in the social media circles, with the recent campaign by some people from New Zealand to have a change of their national flag. In a recently-concluded referendum, the country's electoral commission asked the question: "If the New Zealand flag changes, which flag would you prefer?"

And, more than 1.5 million in total votes and a voter turnout of 48.78 percent, the Kiwis chose a new flag to decide on whether it is the one that best represents them as a nation. The new design would be pitted to the current flag and the ultimate winner to be decided on a second referendum come March 2016.

The most preferred alternative flag design was known as the Silver Fern (black, white and blue), the Electoral Commission confirmed via news release. It was one of the 5 flag design finalists chosen from more than 10,000 entries and the personal favorite of Prime Minister John Key.

"I was in shock. I saw the result when I was walking home from work, refreshing my screen on my mobile phone. My jaw dropped basically. Somebody rang me and I was speechless," said Melbourne-based architect Kyle Lockwood who designed the winning flag, including the almost identical runner-up design but only in red, white and blue, wrote Stuff.co.nz.

"The multiple points of the fern leaf represent Aotearoa's (Maori term for new Zealand) peaceful, multicultural society, a single fern spreading upwards representing one people growing onward into the future," said Lockwood, according to CNN. "The bright blue represents our clear atmosphere and the Pacific Ocean, over which all New Zealanders, or their ancestors, crossed to get here."

The push for a change in the national colors was also endorsed by the prime minister himself who figured that their current flag just looks pretty much the same as that of Australia's. Key also believes that it is time to do away with the Union Jack present in the current flag and replace it with the fern, which is a historical symbol of the country and what New Zealand is known for.