新西兰公投：银蕨星旗落败 将沿用米字国旗

New Zealanders have voted to keep the same flag they've had for the past 114 years, rejecting the chance for a new design.
投票显示，新西兰人民拒绝更换国旗，决定继续沿用飘扬了114年的米字旗。

Preliminary results from voting in a referendum to decide if the flag would be changed were in favour of keeping the old design, which is similar to the Australian flag and incorporates the Union Jack.
此前，新西兰进行了是否更换国旗的公投，而初步结果显示人们更倾向于继续沿用现有国旗。新西兰现有国旗和澳大利亚国旗相似，融合了米字旗元素。

The New Zealand Herald reported 2.1 million people voting with the result as 56.6 percent in favour of the same flag and 43.2 percent in favour of a new flag.
据《新西兰先驱报》报道，共计210万人参与投票，56.6%的民众选择现有国旗，43.2%的民众选择新国旗。

The 18-month process, driven by Prime Minister John Key, cost $NZ26 million (£11.9million).
这项公投由新西兰总理约翰·基发起，历时一年半，花费2600万新西兰元（1190万英镑）。

Mr Key said he was disappointed with the outcome, but called for the country to 'rally behind the flag that's been chosen, to go out and use, to wave it and to be proud of it and to celebrate the fact that we've got an amazing country'.
总理表示，他对于公投结果感到失望，但他同时呼吁全国“团结一致支持现有国旗，走出国门使用它、挥舞它，向全世界展示我们以新西兰为傲”。

His government would not return to the issue, the New Zealand Herald reported.
《新西兰先驱报》报道，在约翰·基总理的任期内不会再开展有关更换国旗的行动。

He also defended the expensive cost of the referendum, saying it had caused healthy debate about nationhood.
关于公投高额花费引发的争议，总理表示公投的意义在于掀起了一次关于国家地位的健康的全民讨论。

The voter turnout was about 67 percent, with just over 1.2 million voting for the existing flag and more than 915,000 voting for change, Stuff.co.nz reported.
据新闻网站Stuff.co.nz报道，目前选民投票率约为67%，其中支持现有国旗的人数稍多于120万，选择更换国旗的人数则超过91.5万。

A final result will be announced in about a week's time.
投票的最终结果将于一周后公布。

Last year, a competition was held to design options for a new flag for the country, which New Zealanders voted for.
去年，新西兰发起了一项设计新国旗的海选，最终选拔出来的设计就是参与此次公投的备选新国旗。

A selection committee chose four flags from a vast number of entries, and voting in an earlier referendum selected a black, white, blue and red fern and stars design by Kyle Lockwood.
筛选委员会从众多参赛作品中选出了四份作品，在早期的公投结果中，由凯尔•洛克伍德设计的黑白蓝红四色的银蕨星旗胜出，并与现有国旗进行对决。

It was that flag that was outvoted in the latest referendum.
在开篇所述的公投中，就是这面银蕨星旗输给了现有米字旗。

The result has brought the end to the first-ever public vote by a country on its national flag.
这是全世界首次针对更换国旗举行的公投。本次投票结果为这场公投画上了句点。

Vocabulary

referendum: 公民复决投票
nationhood: 作为一个国家的地位