Flagpole maintenance: care, checks and flag care in New Zealand

A flagpole needs little upkeep, but it does need some. New Zealand conditions set the pace: strong UV wears halyards and flags, salt spray attacks metal near the coast, and storms test the mount and the fittings. Most problems start small, with a fraying rope or a stiff pulley, and are easy to spot with regular checks. This guide describes what is usually checked and how flags are cared for.

What is usually checked

Checks after storms and strong winds are part of the routine, especially on exposed sites.

The pole and its finish

New Zealand flag makers supply their aluminium poles powder-coated or anodised. According to the Flag & Banner Company, mill-finish aluminium without some coating turns black with weathering. A damaged coating exposes the metal, and near the coast salt speeds up corrosion of the pole and its steel fittings, such as a galvanised ground tube. Rinsing off salt and dirt keeps the surface in better condition. Timber poles need painting or oiling and checks for rot where the pole meets the ground. The materials are compared in the guide to flagpole materials.

Halyard and fittings

The halyard wears faster than the pole. Strong sun makes synthetic rope brittle, and a rope that slaps against the pole in the wind wears at the contact points. Replacing a halyard before it breaks is much easier than retrieving a rope from the top of a pole. On a pole with a folding spigot, the work can be done on the ground; on a fixed pole it is work at height, which WorkSafe New Zealand describes as likely to result in a serious injury in a fall. More in the guide to flagpole safety.

Caring for the flag

According to Manatū Taonga – Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH):

• the New Zealand flag should never be flown in a dilapidated condition, and MCH suggests removing it until it can be replaced
• large flags are more suitable for calm days or ceremonial occasions
• smaller storm flags can be used instead when wind speeds are expected to exceed 48 knots.

Letting a wet flag dry fully before it is folded and stored helps prevent mildew, and a flag flown only by day is exposed to the weather for fewer hours.

Folding and storing

MCH’s display rules, taken from the New Zealand flag booklet of the Department of Internal Affairs, describe how the flag is folded:

1. The flag is laid flat and folded in half horizontally, then in half again.
2. It is folded lengthwise, bottom side to top side, once and then once again.
3. The ends are brought together.
4. It is folded concertina-style, backwards and forwards, towards the hoist edge.
5. The bundle is kept together by winding the halyard around and under itself.

When the flag is worn out

An old flag is not destroyed in public view. According to MCH, it is disposed of by burning it discreetly in some type of incinerator, not by taking it to a rubbish dump, and some flag-making companies offer facilities for disposing of flags. How long flags and poles last is covered in the guide to flagpole lifespan, and common faults in the guide to flagpole repair.