New Zealand on Thursday voted in a historic referendum to retain its current flag, which was up against the black, white and silver fern design chosen in December 2015. Nearly 2.1 million people opted to keep the flag, complete with the Union Jack, in a 57% to 43% vote. With this, the public rejected Prime Minister John Key's proposal to replace the 114-year-old emblem from the colonial era, The Telegraph reported.

Key had earlier said that the flag looked too similar to Australia’s and that it was time to remove the Union Jack from it. Key had been in favour of the silver fern, saying that it “screamed New Zealand”. Veterans had criticised the proposed change as disrespectful, but sporting figures supported the silver fern, whose emblem is associated with those of several national teams.

The silver fern was chosen from among four options, after a 12-member Flag Consideration Panel first reviewed all 10,292 suggested flag designs and narrowed it down to a list of 40. It was designed by Architect Kyle Lockwood, who also conceptualised a similar design in red and blue, which came in a close second in the referendum in December.