Key: Flag not timed to coincide with World Cup

John Key says the first referendum on the flag was not deliberately timed to coincide with the Rugby World Cup in a bid to boost the chances of a silver fern making it through.

The Prime Minister today said the two Kyle Lockwood designs of the four flags in the shortlist were his favourites for a new flag but if New Zealanders voted to keep the current flag he would still wave it with pride.

His initial preference was for a simple silver fern on a black background, such as that on the All Black's jerseys. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has also spoken in favour of a silver fern design.

Mr Key said typically the silver fern was flown a lot during the world cup. "But it wasn't brilliantly timed round that. It just happened to be the way the process worked."

The plain black with a silver fern was not on the shortlist released today, despite many expecting it to be.

"I'm actually fine with that. If you'd asked me a year or so ago I started life thinking that might be a good place to start and now I've actually moved on in my thinking,"

Mr Key went cold on that idea for a flag after it was mocked for being similar to the Islamic State flag and was happy with the shortlisted four, although Cabinet could have refused to accept them if it wished.

App users tap here to final designs

Koru - by Andrew Fyfe

Silver Fern (Black & White) - by Alofi Kanter

Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood

Silver Fern (Red, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood

His preferences were the two by Kyle Lockwood because they contained the fern which had long been a symbol of New Zealand worn by sports teams and marking the graves of soldiers overseas.

"I like the southern cross because I think it's got that connection with the old flag."

Mr Key said he was not worried that having three silver ferns would split the vote and bring the koru through the middle.

Support for the silver fern from the likes of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw was "not unhelpful".

"But in the end, Richie is only one voice."

Other sports people including rowers Mahe Drysdale and Hamish Bond had also spoken in favour of change. Mr Key expected more high profile people from other walks of life to start speaking out.

He said it would have economic benefits to New Zealand through branding and the silver fern was already closely associated with New Zealand internationally.

The koru was his least preferred option.

Mr Key said it was up to New Zealanders to make the choice now and whatever the result he believed the discussion it was prompting on national identity was important.

"I do think it's the right time in the country to take stock and say, 'Should we do that?' I'm not saying it's the biggest issue there is, but we are an incredibly proud nation and we don't use our current flag to really demonstrate that much."