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# Norfolk Island (Australia)

##

Last modified: 2026-05-16 by ian macdonald
Keywords: norfolk island | norfolk pine |
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1:2; image by Zoltan Horvath, 10 August 2024
Flag adopted 17 January 1980

- Description
- Norfolk Island Pine (Araucaria heterophylla, formerly Araucaria excelsa)
- Colour Specifications
- Coat of arms

See also:

- Society of Pitcairn Descendants
- Symbolism of Australian State and Territory Flags
- Australia

## Description

From Foley: "...the winning design was approved by the Norfolk Island Council on 6 June 1979. The designer of the flag was not announced. The "Norfolk Island Flag and Public Seal Act" 1979 (NI) legislatively created the Norfolk Island Flag and set out rules in relation to its use. The Flag became official as at the date of the commencement of the Act on 17 January 1980."

David Cohen, 6 March 1998

From Political History of the Pitcairn People in Norfolk Island from 1856 to 1996:

> 1980 - The Governor-General of Australia assented to Norfolk Island's having its own flag. Queen Elizabeth II signed the warrant for Norfolk Island's armorial bearings, which show the Norfolk Island escutcheon supported by a British lion and an Australian kangaroo. Neither beast is native to Norfolk Island.

Does anybody know about this? The flag, on the other hand, seems well-accepted. But reading the whole of this historical (and political) statement, one may well wonder if this remarkably non-Aussie flag will survive until Australia itself changes its own flag (it this ever happens)...
Thanh-Tâm Lê, 15 October 1998

The green is dark green, the center stripe is wider than the outer ones. Stripes' ratio is 7:9:7.
Ralf Stelter, 25 July 1999

In the Flags of Aspirant Peoples chart [eba94] appears "169. Norfolk Island - External territory, Australia." Identical to the flag in FOTW.

Ivan Sache, 17 September 1999

The Norfolk Island flag was adopted with a law issued on January 1st 1980, effective 17th January 1980.
Pier Paolo Lugli, 21 September 1999

António Martins asked, "what is the overall ratio of the flag?". Foley 1996 [fol96] doesn't give a ratio, but the image in the book is 1:2, the same as our [Australian] national flag.
David Cohen, 22 September 1999

I have an official model of the Norfolk Island flag on file, and this suggests that the green is Pantone 356C.
Christopher Southworth

Yesterday, 26 May 2015, Royal Assent was given to Commonwealth legislation that ended self-government for Norfolk Island and incorporated the territory into Australia in the same way as Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Island. All of the special provisions that gave Norfolk Island a separate status have been replaced by arrangements that will make the islanders subject to Australian tax and laws and entitled to all the Australian welfare benefits including health care and pensions. Put simply, the island had become bankrupt and was not financially viable as an autonomous territory. It is not entirely clear, but it seems that the Norfolk Island Flag and Public Seal Act 1979 has not been revoked - so the flag should continue to be used to represent the territory, notwithstanding the abolition of the Legislative Assembly and local government.
Ralph Kelly, 27 May 2015

## Norfolk Island Pine

### Araucaria heterophylla, formerly Araucaria excelsa

The pine is scientifically named Araucaria excelsa.
Pier Paolo Lugli, 21 September 1999

The English name is Norfolk Pine, or maybe Norfolk Island Pine.
António Martins, 29 September 1999

António Martins asked about the number of branches. I have a 2x4 feet Norfolk Island flag (bought on NF but no doubt manufactured in Australia) and the branch detail is very poor. The image in Foley 1996 [fol96] is the most detailed one I have. My opinion: there are 40 branches on each side, thus totalling 80 (although they are of course not symmetrical).
David Cohen, 22 September 1999

From Webster's New International Dictionary (India Paper Edition), Washington, 1924:

> Norfolk Island pine — a handsome pinaceous tree of Australia and Norfolk Island (Araucaria excelsa), with whorls of horizontal branches densely set with deep green awl-shaped leaves. It is often cultivated in pots, seldom exceeding a few feet in height, though in its native home it grows 200 feet high.

Jarig Bakker, 30 September 1999

The University of Vermont refers to the Norfolk Island Pine as Araucaria heterophylla. This name is also used at Green & Evergrowing LLC and at Norfolk Island's own website. A wholesale growers site uses Araucaria heterophylla as its primary reference with A. excelsa in parenthesis.
Michael P. Smuda, 1 October 1999

The tree is Araucaria heterophylla now. It was formerly A. excelsa but was renamed by dendrologists quite a number of years ago.
Rex Glencross-Grant, 8 August 2002

A. heterophylla is endemic only to Norfolk Island, not Australia. Whilst it grows well in Australia (and quite a number of areas) its original home is Norfolk Island.
Rex Glencross-Grant, 20 January 2003

## Colour Specifications

The Norfolk Island Flag And Public Seal Act 1979 defines the flag, gives an illustration and gives Pantone color value for green color: https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2015Q00187/asmade/text
The green color specified as PMS 356.
The Australian Symbols booklet also illustrates the flag and gives the same color value for green:
https://www.pmc.gov.au/publications/australian-symbols-booklet/state-and-territory-symbols/symbols-norfolk-island
Other sources for colors:
The Olympic Flag Manuals don’t illustrate this flag, because Norfolk Island is not member of IOC or IPC.
The French Navy Books give an illustration, but there is no any color specification.
Vexilla Mundi gives colors in Pantone system: PMS 356C (green), and PMS White.
Wikipedia refers to the 1979 Act, illustrates the flag, and gives color values as follows:
Green: Pantone 356, RGB 0-120-51, Hex #007833
White: Pantone not specified
Flag Color Codes gives the following color values:
Green: Hex # 007934, RGB 0-121-52, CMYK 100-0-57-53, Pantone 356C, RAL 6029
White: Hex #FFFFFF, RGB 255-255-255, CMYK 0-0-0-0, Pantone & RAL n/a

Zoltan Horvath, 10 August 2024, Jeff Thomson, 9 May 2026

## Coat of arms

image located by Zoltan Horvath, 10 August 2024

The official coat of arms of Norfolk Island was adopted on October 20, 1980. Its main element is a shield where a Norfolk Island Pine Tree placed on a rocky mount. The two stars on the shield refer to the Arms of Australia, New South Wales as well as the Arms of Captain James Cook – the discoverer of the Island. The two anchors and the naval crown represents the maritime history of the first settlers on the Norfolk and Pitcairn Islands. It also reflects the importance of seas and oceans in the history of these islands. The book on the shield stands for the Bible taken from HMS Bounty. Supporting the shield is a lion and a Kangaroo. The Lion symbolizes the Island’s historic ties with UK, New South Wales, and Tasmania. The Kangaroo alludes to the Island’s ties with Australia. The covered cup on the shield is taken from the arms of the founder of Pitcairn settlement – Fletcher Christian. The lion wears a laurel wreath obtained from the arms of Captain James Cook. The motto: “INASMUCH” is taken from the Gospel of Matthew (25:34).
Source: https://www.worldatlas.com/flags/norfolk-island