Why new zealand and australia flag is same?

Great question! The similarity comes from their shared colonial history with Britain. Both countries adopted versions of the Blue Ensign design in the early 1900s. What many people don't realize is that New Zealand actually had its flag first (adopted 1902) while Australia's current design was finalized in 1908. There have been recent debates in both countries about changing their flags to better reflect their independent identities. In fact, New Zealand held a flag referendum in 2016, though voters ultimately decided to keep the current design. The history is pretty fascinating—the New Zealand government's flag history page has some interesting details about how their flag evolved.

Actually, they're not the same—but I can see why people get confused! Both flags feature the British Blue Ensign (that dark blue background with the Union Jack in the corner) because both countries were formerly British colonies. The key difference is in the stars: Australia has the Commonwealth Star with seven points (six representing states and one for territories) and the Southern Cross constellation with five white stars. New Zealand's flag has the Southern Cross with four red stars with white borders. So while similar at first glance, the star patterns are quite distinct!