Lets change the New Zealand flag

Lets change the New Zealand flag

feel free to respond

i will be most annoyed if its that sh*tty black flag with a fern on it. what the fudge does that say about our country and the people within?  nothing its just a branding exercise it seems to me.
look at the links below to see some of the variations that people have come up with. i like the dick frizzel one - silver fern night sky. check it out see what you think.

http://www.nzflag.com/designs_frizzell.cfm

http://www.nzflag.com
Christo2007-07-21 12:48:43

I like that one too, Christo.

I don't think we'll change the flag until we become a republic though - which won't happen for a while yet..

I personally have no problem with our flag the way it is. And the argument "let's change it, it's too similar to the Aussie one" is one of my pet hates. Has anyone ever heard an Irish person wanting to change their flag because it's too similar to the Italian one? There are dozens of countries in the world who have similar flags, and none of them are looking to change them because of those similarities. If we ever decide to change our flag, we'd better have a good reason for it.

Its a big problem, i continously am told my flag is the australian flag!!! And being that our countries are neighbours it is important to have distinct flags, the rest of the world does not make any distinction between the two....

Can someone please explain to me what the old war veterans mean when they say "I fought for that flag"? I thought they fought for something more meaningful, like world peace etc.

Hammer Head2007-07-22 09:56:14

That is cool that flag, who knows man, my grandfather is a huge pro flag guy, hence why i worte that one in the poll...he has appeared in napier papers complaining about the the flag change movement etc...I think when the war veterans have all passed away the climate will slowly change toward change, wake up NZ look at the flag, when i look at it im not proud of it never have been! Im proud of kiwi symbols but the flag is not a nz symbol its a symbol given to us by our former bosses, why should we keep it, to keep the queen happy, im sure she wouldnt care if we gave the flag an upgrade....

I dont think that we really need to change the flag unless we become a republic. I like the current New Zealand national flag and dont really see a need to change it. And if people think that the brazilian flag looks like the f**king Australian flag, they're w**kers of the highest order and just shows how egotistical some people can be.

im not talking about the brazilian flag...although why do australia use green and gold, ive been asked that a few times here in Rio, being Brazils colours they find it strange that they use colours that have nothing to do with their flag...who knows..re dwhite and blue are too common..

get a flag with Ricki's face on it.

Next you will be wanting to change the national anthem, from God Save The Queen, to a song people can't sing.

QUOTE: the flag is not a nz symbol its a symbol given to us by our former bosses, why should we keep it, to keep the queen happy QUOTE

I sense the beginning of a nationalistic uprising.

(That doesn't work actually, considering we are no longer controlled by Britain).loyalgunner2007-07-26 16:56:36

it is strange how the aussies have adopted canary yellow and green, but why did we go with black and white?

was the country so poor back in the day that was all we could afford ink wise?

leave the flag, you interferring, no-good-niks

I quite like Jason Paul Troup's design on NZFlag.com. Personally I'd swap the yellow stars for the current ones to put a link to the old flag in it.



If NZ is made a republic as well, I'd be rather happy...

We should change the flag but we need to ahve some british stuff on there still.

Personally i don't give a monkeys chuff!!!

NEW FLAG::

Yeah, let's change the flag!

Malky, people constantly confuse our flag, from a distance on a flag pole they are the same A flag is supposed to be a national symbol and i think it important that it be distinct especially when our neighbour has one very similar. And of course eating lentils has lots to do with wanting a new flag, saving whales or stopping seal hunting, of course the obvious step is to demand a new flag, your arguement is pretty shallow bro.

If there is going to be a change then lets hope it's to something that represents all of us, not just the 12% that think they are the forgotton tribe. We are all New Zealanders. Not Pakehas, Maori, NZ Europeans.

From a distance on a flag pole it looks the same as the Cook Islands, Falklands, Pitcairn or St Helena flags but I've never heard anyone use them as a reason for changing our flag.

In fact it is always 'our flag looks like the Aussy one' I have never heard anyone say the aussy one looks like ours. The fact is we had our current flag before the Aussies had theirs so they copied us.

So, talk of changing our flag to me says more about us as NZers and our insecurities towards Australia than it does about the quality of our flag. If our flag can be mistaken for theirs then perhaps we can be mistaken for Aussies and that really bothers us.

Besides there are no guarantees that any new flag will be a good one. Canada were lucky but then South Africa ended up with the United Colours of Beneton. So, if the people currently calling for a new flag didn't like what we end up with, is that the end of it or will they keep calling for another new flag?

Anyway, Australia will become a republic before we do and they'll change their flag. Problem solved.

Besides, I don't understand why everyone is so anxious to become a republic. It's an antiquated mode of government. Rome was a republic and look how it turned out for them.

Completely agree with Malky. I just can't see any validity in the argument that people confuse our flag with the Aussie one. In addition to everything Malky says, why shold we bother to change our flag because some half-blind idiot can't see the differences? Like I said in an earlier post, there are dozens of countries in the world that are in a similar position to us, yet no-one is considering changing their flag for this spurious reason.

would you consider changing the flag for reasons other than it looks too much like australias?

would you change the flag so it would reflect the new zealand people/life/country as it is today?
a sort of modernisation if you will.

Yes, provided that there's clear national consensus for the change. The most likely scenario for such a situation to arise wold be if we decided to change our constitutional arrangements and become a republic, but I don't see this happening any time soon.

I think Aus gets the green and gold colours from the Wattle tree which is on their coat of arms

No idea why NZ went for black

aussie this and aussie that, you guys are obsessed with us!

nuh we just dont want to be associated with you lot

The problem with the flag-changing campaign that pops up every couple of years is that not enough people feel strongly enough about it as an issue. BringBackClough2007-08-19 15:21:04

You have got to be joking. The flag has got to go and the only option is to use the Tino Rangatiratanga flag as seen at Waitangi day. I'm a pomme but this country is on the other side of the planet and has FA to do with UK or it's politics. We know where we are and don't need the stars to tell us. I saw the PM on TV yesterday with two NZ flags behind her and all I could make out were two Union Jacks that didn't hang down past her shoulders. Compare that to Bush who has massive flags in the background when he appears! We may not be big but our views are cutting edge and relevant. No Nukes, women voting and keeping scrums in rugby. We need a flag that reflects OUR country, not world standards. One that will unify the country, like the Tino Rangatiratanga flag could. We are a separate nation, lets act like one. Stop acting like we think we should and start acting like we want.

"and the only option is to use the Tino Rangatiratanga flag"

in my mind this is not an option, as i find it a stretch of how it reflects our country, it reflects only part of it and has too many ideas behind it to be seen as a flag that could unite the country and tell the world who we are.

Why should the Tino Rangatiratanga be the only option? Namely, why should a flag that represents only part of the population and that is sometimes associated with seperatism reflect our country? Other flags can reflect the country as a whole. While I wouldn't accept a flag without Maori influence, I wouldn't accept a flag that disowns the rest of the country as well. There can easily be a compromise, and they don't all have to have a southern cross :P

That being said, I agree with a lot of your post. The Union Jack has to go, and NZ needs to display that we are a seperate nation.
robbwatson2007-08-21 12:42:30

I Fink My avatar would made a good national flag.

no way would i endorse the use of the tino rangatiratanga flag, it has all sorts of negative connotations attached to it.

e.g Tama Iti, Prevalent use by the Mongrel Mob.

Case closed for me.

OK, nice to have options and I was the devil's advocate there. The tino rangatiratanga flag is sweet in my book because I see a future where the country is united and everybody moving forward with progress. To look back at the history of the flag and to show that unity from an early stage would be admirable. Take my word for it that when Apartheid is truly a thing of the past that the South African rainbow flag will change. That's what I thought the first time I saw it anyway. That might work for them but for me the history behind that sort of thing adds to the appeal. Having read the other posts I'm changing my stand and backing Skaman for next leader of the opposition. Good flag.

its still all about maori sovereignty to me and i dont think we can ever attach the connotations of a united New Zealand to it.

i do agree with alot of what your saying but with the flag we need to start afresh

I want my kids to look back and say "Yeah, they chose the good one". Like the national anthem? The Maori version makes it.

change the flag? no way... what are we going to change it to huh.. a f*#king silver fern? get lost.. that means NOTHING but Oo we have a silver undercoated leaf in our bush and forests.. weve died under this flag, weve fought for freedom under this flag, weve fought against racism and discrimination under this flag, we have been born under this flag, we are a young country, very young in world comparrisons so what is it really going to benefit. The grass isnt always going to be greener on the other side. I think we need to carry on tradition.

"Peace to the struggilin artists and dead ones gone we miss em', and i promise i carry on tradition"

And the anthem.. well i don't find it very passionate i must say, it is lacking a bit i feel.  Everyone says the maori version is the better version.. is that because you guys can't translate it? how is it better.. Seriously.