A change of flag!!

Post by **bignote1** » August 19, 2015, 12:22 am

I understand that in 2016 New Zealand will hold a referendum regarding a change in the design of the national flag.
I also understand that an independent poll showed that over 70% of kiwi's had no interest in changing the flag.
Why would New Zealand go to the expense of an expensive referendum when polls show a significant majority do not want a change?
Is a flag change on the part of the minority an attempt to obliterate or rewrite history?

Post by **GT93** » August 19, 2015, 2:12 am

This is one of the progressive Tory PM's projects. I suspect he sees a change at some stage as inevitable and he would like to be in the history books for bringing that about.

It's not an important issue for now but I think it's going to really heat up once the choices are narrowed down. It's too early to say what the outcome will be. If there was a strong alternative, it might get over the line.

I think history is always being rewritten. That's what historians spend much of their time trying to do.

Post by **pomps** » August 19, 2015, 4:46 am

The singing egg has great potential

http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/tv ... lag-design

Post by **downunder** » August 19, 2015, 5:52 am

Great thread Pomps, taking in so much laughter at stupidity shown by everyday New Zealanders who submitted samples. Would have been easier to assimilate some other Country's Flag like they have done before. Problem Solved.

Post by **tataw** » August 19, 2015, 7:58 am

Maybe this is why some people want to change the flag???

http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/other-spor ... alian-flag

Of all the designs the predominant colours seem to be black and white with a little of red or blue. Why not use white to represent the Maori name for NZ "Aotearoa" which can translate as: ao = cloud, dawn, daytime or world, tea = white, clear or bright and roa = long. Green to represent the predominant colour of the land and blue to represent a land that is surrounded by the sea. Possibly a Maori motif to show the significance of their heritage with NZ,

Post by **Aardvark** » August 19, 2015, 5:53 pm

Heaps of choices .... http://www.msn.com/en-au/news/photos/th ... ?ocid=iehp

Post by **Barney** » August 19, 2015, 6:53 pm

Without sounding controversial they should wait till their employment agency, Australia, changes their flag and they can put that into the corner in place of the union jack.
Just have a white flag with ours in the corner.
For those about to jump on the high horse the white is for the long white cloud?

Just an opinion and maybe not as good as a singing egg

Post by **bignote1** » August 19, 2015, 7:20 pm

Everyone seems to have had their two cents as to what the new design should be but have not addressed my original question.
If a poll reveals 72% of New Zealanders (an overwhelming majority, I would have thought) don't want to change their flag why go through the very expensive process of a referendum to resolve an issue whose result seems blatantly obvious.
Why is the tail (28%) wagging the dog (72%) ?

Post by **fatbob** » August 19, 2015, 8:35 pm

Because forty five million sheep want change, we all know who rules bahhhhh.

Post by **tataw** » August 19, 2015, 9:32 pm

Someone has been pulling the wool over your eyes

Post by **GT93** » August 20, 2015, 1:42 am

It's also politics bignote. It's the Tories making a play for voters in the centre as is say their support for gay marriage. I'd also see both these issues as the Tories wanting to be attractive to young voters. Democracy seems quite healthy in NZ at present.

I think you and many of the commentators here are misreading the issue on the possible vote. A vote on a choice between a specific new flag and the current flag might be very different from a vote in the the abstract on change.

There's no downside for the Tories if there's no change. There is if they cancel the process halfway through. I think the cancellation would need legislative change. I think they are on a win-win whatever way the vote goes although there is a small risk it might turn to custard. The current PM is a sharp political operator.

Post by **BobHelm** » September 23, 2015, 4:36 pm

GT93 wrote:The current PM is a sharp political operator.

Possibly not as smart as you & him would like to think GT...

New Zealand U-turns on Red Peak flag design

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34333018

New Zealand's government has made a dramatic U-turn on its competition to design a new national flag, and is allowing a fifth wild card entry.

Red Flag, designed by Wellington resident Aaron Dustin, experienced a groundswell of public support earlier this month after failing to make the final four for the competition.

Nearly 52,000 people have signed a petition calling for it to be added.

PM John Key had previously ruled out making changing the final line-up.

Looks a bit like a road sign to me...

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » September 24, 2015, 2:57 am

Run that one up the flag pole, and I don't think anyone will salute it.

Post by **maaka** » September 24, 2015, 7:31 am

its a bloody farse..
the first four designs breach copyright as the sliver fern is NZ Rubgy Union copyright, and the 'koru ' is Maori copyright if you remember the Air NZ koru case, and now this triangle yes looks like a road sign...

they should have stuck with the red ensign...same old flag but red background instead of blue..

Post by **papafarang** » September 24, 2015, 8:11 am

I did like maori one, sort of funky , and yes if I saw the triangle I would think it's some kind of road warning sign . with makka on this one, shows independence but keeps in mind heritage . but what do I know, won't be long before the union jack is banned in the uk as it offends too many people

Post by **Laan Yaa Mo** » September 24, 2015, 6:27 pm

maaka wrote:its a bloody farse..
the first four designs breach copyright as the sliver fern is NZ Rubgy Union copyright, and the 'koru ' is Maori copyright if you remember the Air NZ koru case, and now this triangle yes looks like a road sign...

they should have stuck with the red ensign...same old flag but red background instead of blue..

Now this is a good choice. If New Zealand is going to abandon the old flag, they should vote for this flag.

Post by **pomps** » November 25, 2015, 6:51 am

Supposedly voting seems to want to keep the existing flag so what happens now

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news ... d=11550614

Post by **maaka** » November 25, 2015, 8:42 am

I dont recall us Kiwi's ever having a vote to change the flag in the first instance, yet it appears we are locked into this coming referendum, and a choice of these five flags..i will assume we get a chance to vote for the old one at the end..a contest between the old and new one selected to face off...its as clear as mud...we may have 100,s of people still living in their earthquake ruined houses these last four winters, but we can spend millions on a change of ruddy flag....

Post by **papafarang** » November 25, 2015, 10:56 am

so can they vote for the old flag ? or is this .we will have a new flag even if only 4 people vote for it ?

Post by **tataw** » November 25, 2015, 11:11 am

The final decision will be between the one that is preferred from the 5 choices (which are all naff in my opinion) and the existing flag which the people will vote on. As maaka states a waste of money, but I believe the PM wants a changed flag as his legacy

A recent poll states that over 66% of NZer's prefer to keep the old flag.

If people are concerned about the OZ and NZ flags being similar then why isn't Aussie voting on a changed flag?