ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Seal of New Zealand

The Seal of New Zealand is like a special sticker that represents New Zealand. The seal shows a picture with four things that are important to New Zealand.

The first thing you can see on the seal is the Southern Cross, which is a group of stars in the sky that can only be seen in the Southern Hemisphere where New Zealand is located.

The second thing on the seal is two native plants. One is a fern, which is a special plant that is known all over the world as one of the symbols of New Zealand. The other plant is a Kowhai, which is a kind of tree that has pretty yellow flowers. These plants are important to New Zealand because they're native to the country, which means they grew there naturally, and are not found anywhere else in the world.

The third thing you can see on the seal is a sheep which represents New Zealand's farming industry. For many years farming was a big part of New Zealand's economy and still is today. Sheep farming is one of the most important types of farming that is done in New Zealand.

Finally, there is a ship on the seal which represents New Zealand's first settlers who arrived from Europe on a ship. These settlers were very important in shaping New Zealand into the country it is today.

All of these things together on the seal show what New Zealand is about and what is important to the country and its people.