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Otago province (New Zealand)

Last modified: 2002-10-26 by sam lockton
Keywords: new zealand | otago | saltire (yellow) | rugby | bicolour |
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Presentation of Otago Province

Otago is the second largest province of the South Island, both in population and area. Its capital is Dunedin, and its other major towns are Oamaru and Queenstown (Queenstown is sometimes regarded as part of another province, Southland, for some administrative purposes). It is roungly triangular in shape, with a long East coast stretching from the Waitaki river to the southernmost point of the mainland (Slope Point), and running inland along the Waitaki river in the north, and from Slope point up to the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
James Dignan, 26 August 1997


Quartered flag

Otago’s sports flag #3
by António Martins, 22 March 1999

I noticed recently that the Dunedin municipal chambers has taken to flying the quartered Otago flag (ratio 1:2, blue in 1st and 4th quarters, yellow in 2nd and 3rd) alongside the national flag and Dunedin city flag. Although this doesn’t mean it has official status, it does give some indication of its popularity as a flag!
James Dignan, 4 October 1999

Since last October, when Otago won the national provincial rugby championship, a lot of local businesses have taken to flying flags in the Otago colours. Most of them use a flag patterned the Ukrainian flag (but with a blue and gold similar to those on the Rumanian flag), but the local newspaper offices have consistently flown a huge flag that is quartered in the same two colours, with the blue at honour point.
James Dignan, 21 March 1999

The quartered flag is most often seen 1:2.
James Dignan, 9 May 1999


Golden saltire

Unofficial Otago flag
by António Martins, 14 December 1998

There are no standardised designs for provincial flags, but I have heard of one suggestion for an Otago flag — a gold saltire on blue. This design is already used as part of the arms of several Otago places and corporations and in the arms of Otago University, and represents the fact that the province was founded by settlers from Scotland, and gained its first wealth from the goldrush of 1861.
James Dignan, 12 September 1996

The proposal faded out. I haven’t seen a saltire flag around for quite a while now. The predominant one seems to be the Ukraininan-like bicolour, but the quartered flag is slowly becoming more popular.
James Dignan, 9 May 1999


Sport flags

Otago’s sports flag
by James Dignan, 26 August 1997

In Otago, a flag very similar to the Ukraininan one, but with the gold above the blue, is most common in the national rugby union competition (The National Provincial Championship), waved by fans at the grounds.
James Dignan, 12 September 1996

Otago’s sports flag is a fairly standard horizontal gold over blue, usually in a format that is closer to square than the normal 1:2 or 2:3 (this image made in 3:4).
James Dignan, 26 August 1999

I have seen the blue over gold (or gold over blue) Otago flags in anything from about 3:4 through to 1:2, although the longer ones seem to be the most common.
James Dignan, 5 April 1999

Otago’s sports flag #2
by António Martins, 22 March 1999

I have seen the Otago one in 1:2, but it’s more commonly seen shorter than that.
James Dignan, 9 May 1999


University of Otago


by James Dignan, 27 October 2000

Otago University has recently adopted a flag based on the colours of the province and the university's shield.
James Dignan, 27 October 2000






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