No flag, no trade

This is a story from our monthly newsletter, Heritage this Month.

Antony Phillips | Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland

If you are strolling around downtown Auckland this summer, be sure to pop into Queens Arcade to view this display of our nation’s flags – there's more than you think.

The evolution of flags in Aotearoa New Zealand has been an interesting journey. The display tells the stories behind the different flags that have represented New Zealand over the past 180 years – including reference to an early flag which was likely to have been a paki or pākē (flax rain cape).

Flags on display in Queens Arcade

Other flags on display include the McDonnell flag, which was developed by trader Captain McDonnell though never formally registered as a national flag, and the Flag of the United Tribes (Te Kara or The Flag of the Whakaminenga o Ngā Hapū Aotearoa) which was chosen as our first official national flag by a group of Northland rangatira in March 1834.

The display also includes our current flag and the story behind its adoption as our national flag in 1902.

All the flags on display are maritime flags – with the exception of the Tino Rangatiratanga flag which is an assertion of Māori self-determination.

Located at 34-40 Queen Street, Queens Arcade is one of downtown Auckland’s original retail destinations. Designed by Bloomfield and Hunt and built by Fletcher Construction Limited, it was completed in 1929.

Queens Arcade was originally constructed as three separate buildings with two main street frontages. The ‘south arcade’ to Queen Street was adapted from two separate Victorian buildings, Darby’s Buildings built in 1909 and A.B. Donald Building, which was erected in 1863, with the removal of the boundary walls at ground and first floor levels to create an L-shaped arcade.

Over its lifetime, Queens Arcade has housed several well-known companies including iconic whiteware brand, Fisher and Paykel, who maintained offices and a showroom in the building. Continuing to attract high-end brands, the arcade is now nested in Auckland’s luxury shopping destination with many international high-end retailers opening shops in the area.

Queens Arcade is one of a few buildings in Auckland’s downtown that has remained in the same family ownership and enjoys the proximity of several heritage-listed buildings, recognising the significance of the area.

The display will be on show until February 2024.