Trans-Tasman relations can often get competitive - but flying an incorrect version of the New Zealand flag on one of Sydney's busiest bridges could be considered a little below the belt.
An awkward blunder by authorities in New South Wales has sent the state government scrambling to replace the New Zealand flag atop the Anzac Bridge.
The eight-lane bridge - connecting the inner-city suburb of Pyrmont and Glebe Island on the western fringe of Sydney's CBD - was given its name on Remembrance Day in 1998 in honour of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps' soldiers, known as Anzacs, who served in World War I.
The flags of both nations fly proudly atop the bridge's two towers - except, as 7 News revealed, Aotearoa's flag isn't quite right.
The fault is in the flag's stars, with the Southern Cross bizarrely out of shape. Footage of the flag obtained by 7 News shows the lowest star has been placed under the Union Jack rather than in the diamond formation of the constellation.
"I think New Zealanders would feel a certain disrespect," John Moody from the NZ Flag Association told 7 News.
The incorrect New Zealand Ensign had been flying above the bridge for almost a month - yet no one from the government had noticed until it was flagged by 7 News.
Moody said the reason for the blunder remains unclear.
"It could be laziness, ignorance... it may have been somebody who thought somehow the New Zealand flag was similar to the Australian flag," he said.
Although similar, the countries' flags are not identical. While both feature the Union Jack and the Southern Cross, New Zealand's flag is emblazoned with four five-pointed red stars, while the Australian representation of the Southern Cross is made up of five white stars. The Australian flag also features a large Commonwealth Star beneath the Union Jack.
The outlet understands the NSW government spent much of Tuesday afternoon looking for a flag large enough to replace the incorrect version.
