The Laser Kiwi flag was designed in 2015 by New Zealander Lucy Gray, originally under the title "Fire the Lazar," as an unofficial entry for the 2015–2016 New Zealand flag referendums. On a black field, it shows a kiwi—New Zealand's national bird—firing a green laser beam from its eye beside a silver fern. Gray sketched the design in Microsoft Paint in a single evening after finding the four officially shortlisted options uninspiring. Although it was never a contender, the design became a social media sensation, was mentioned in John Oliver's coverage of the referendum, and remains one of the best-known unofficial flags associated with New Zealand.
