New Zealanders will soon vote on a new flag, but Malcolm Turnbull has declined to provide any oxygen for a renewed debate on Australia's flag.
Mr Turnbull, who met with New Zealand Prime Minister John Key in Sydney on Friday, was reluctant to weigh in on the flag debate.
New Zealanders go to the polls between March 4 and 24 to vote whether to keep the existing design or a new design, chosen by a public process which started with more than 10,000 suggested designs.
That was reduced to eight, then four and now two.
Knocked out early was a design featuring a sheep with laser eyes. Mr Key said that was a proud favourite overseas although not in New Zealand.
He said there was growing momentum for change.
"We will see how it goes. I very firmly believe that New Zealand should change its flag because I think fundamentally the silver fern is the symbol that New Zealand is known by," he said, to applause from the audience in Sydney.
Mr Turnbull said the change would avoid confusion, as often the New Zealand flag was mistaken overseas for the Australian flag.
"We'll move on," he said.
Australia's flag has been debated from the time of federation, peaking periodically including during the 1988 bicentenary. Numerous alternative designs have been suggested.
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