it's not the southern cross, but the UK Flag because New Zealand was first colonised by the British.
http://www.worldflags101.com/n/new-zealand-flag.aspx
The Southern Cross on the New Zealand flag represents NZ's location in the South Pacific Ocean (the blue background).
The Stars on the New Zealand flag represent the Southern Cross Star constellation which is only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and south of latitude 30 degrees in the Northern hemisphere. The formation actually omits the fifth star in the constellation.
The New Zealand flag has a dark blue background. It has the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quadrant and to the right are four red stars, outlined in white, each with five points. The stars are shaped like the Southern Cross, which is a star constellation visible from New Zealand.Unlike Australia's flag, the NZ flag omits the smallest star from the Southern cross, and the stars are red with a white border rather than all white. There is also no Commonwealth star on the NZ flag.See the related link below for an image.Description:at the top left it has the British Flag taking up one quarter of the flag, and then on the right, there is the Southern Cross, four white stars in a white Diamond Shape.The Background is a Dark Blue.
The union jack in the top left is the British ensign included when NZ was still a Briish colony. The four red stars represent the 4 brightest stars in the southern cross as seen from New Zealand.The blue represents the pacific The Stars represent the southern cross The union jack represents the commonwealth, british emprie and the Queen (God Save Her Majesty) The blue represents the pacific The Stars represent the southern cross The union jack represents the commonwealth, british emprie and the Queen (God Save Her Majesty)
Quite simple (1) The NZ flag does not have the "Commonwealth Star" which is an integral part of the Australian flag (this is the six pointed star to represent the six founding states plus Australia's territories, located under the Union Jack) (2) The NZ flag has the Southern Cross coloured red with white borders(rather than white on the Aussie flag) (3) The Southern Cross on the NZ flag only has four five-pointed stars (rather than five on the Aussie - four with seven points and one with five) (Typo on original answer incorrectly said the stars on the Aussie flag were blue - they are of course white
wasim
The Southern Cross on the flag represents NZ's location in the South Pacific Ocean(blue background) :)
The Southern Cross constellation is featured on the New Zealand flag. It consists of four large bright stars and one smaller star.
The constellation on the New Zealand flag is the Southern Cross. It is a prominent feature in the night sky of the Southern Hemisphere.
In the top left corner is a representation of the Union Flag, which is a composite of the flags of St George, St Patrick, and St Andrew, which each are crosses.The fourth cross on the flag is the Southern Cross, of the constellation CRUX.In the NZ flag, the stars of the Southern Cross are each "red stars with a white background".
The four stars symbolises the constellation 'the Southern Cross', represent the stars Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. The Southern Cross is a prominent constellation in the southern hemisphere, and represents New Zealand's geographical position to the rest of the world.
There are four red stars with five points each on the New Zealand flag, representing the Southern Cross constellation.
Australia and New Zealand both have a dark blue flag with a Union Jack in the corner. Te Australian flag also shows the Southern Cross as 5 white stars and the NZ flag the Southern Cross as four red stars
The Stars on the New Zealand flag represent the Southern Cross Star constellation which is only visible in the Southern Hemisphere, and south of latitude 30 degrees in the Northern hemisphere. The formation actually omits the fifth star in the constellation.
The southern Cross is actually a constellation of 4 stars that appears in the southern potion of the sky.
The NZ flag has red stars due to its connection to the British Empire, as seen in the Southern Cross constellation on the flag, which has red stars representing the four brightest stars of the cross. The flag design was adopted in 1902 and has become a symbol of New Zealand's historical ties to Britain and its modern identity as an independent nation.
The New Zealand flag has a dark blue background. It has the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quadrant and to the right are four red stars, outlined in white, each with five points. The stars are shaped like the Southern Cross, which is a star constellation visible from New Zealand.Unlike Australia's flag, the NZ flag omits the smallest star from the Southern cross, and the stars are red with a white border rather than all white. There is also no Commonwealth star on the NZ flag.See the related link below for an image.Description:at the top left it has the British Flag taking up one quarter of the flag, and then on the right, there is the Southern Cross, four white stars in a white Diamond Shape.The Background is a Dark Blue.
The New Zealand flag has a dark blue background. It has the Union Jack in the upper left-hand quadrant and to the right are four red stars, outlined in white, each with five points. The stars are shaped like the Southern Cross, which is a star constellation visible from New Zealand.Unlike Australia's flag, the NZ flag omits the smallest star from the Southern cross, and the stars are red with a white border rather than all white. There is also no Commonwealth star on the NZ flag.See the related link below for an image.Description:at the top left it has the British Flag taking up one quarter of the flag, and then on the right, there is the Southern Cross, four white stars in a white Diamond Shape.The Background is a Dark Blue.