Should New Zealand adopt a new flag? Is it now time to make the change? One strong proponent for change is the website www.nzflag.co.nz. Various reasons are given why the current flag should be replaced by a black flag with a white fern on it. And opinions are expressed by many 'influential' New Zealanders, all backing a change. Some present a solid case for a "black flag with the fern on it", but others seem unable to give convincing reasons for change without denigrating the current flag and, in my opinion, they need to do better than that.

Why change?
One commonly given reason is that "the current New Zealand flag is immediately confused with flags of other countries, especially Australia." I agree that the New Zealand flag can be confused with that of Australia, particularly by foreigners, but I don't know that it's confused with the flags of any other countries. If it is, I'd like to know what those other countries are.

It really isn't too difficult to distinguish between the two when you consider that the stars on the New Zealand flag are red, there are four of them, and they're regular five-pointed stars. Australia's stars are white, there are five or six of them (I say this from memory, without going to check), and they are seven-pointed ('irregular') stars, quite different. And what happens if Australia changes its flag before New Zealand does. Our flag would then be clearly distinguishable from Australia's. Would that then lessen the need to change ours?

The point I'm making is that reasons for change need to be logical and sound. There may well be a good case for a new flag (and I think there is), but there are also some rather weak (and unconvincing) arguments being put up by supporters of change.

Having said that, I think the reality is that it's only a matter of time before New Zealand adopts a new flag. Not so much whether we will, but when we will. Like it or not, the groundswell for change seems to be gathering momentum.

The major consideration will be what the new flag should look like. The common consensus (if the nzflag website is anything to go by) is the already-mentioned black flag with a white fern on it. I don't have a problem with that. What I do not like is the rather 'simplistic' flag promoted by that website, the middle one shown above, where the fern looks more like a sail. Please not that one! Let's have a proper fern, more like the one shown at right.

In the column at right are various opinions about the current flag (as expressed on the nzflag website) and why it should be replaced. In many instances my own comments are shown underneath - particularly when I disagree.

- Malcolm Sparrow (Tawa)


FEEDBACK WE'VE RECEIVED:

"For goodness sake I really can't believe all this nonsense about changing the NZ flag simply because the population doesn't identify with it. The problem isn't with the flag, the problem is the people. Simply changing our flag is not going to change the attitude of the people in the country. Let's keep the current flag and work on the people.

If, in the unfortunate event, our flag is changed in the future, please not the black and white fern, which currently seems to be the preferred option. This fern symbol has now come to be associated with rugby and other sporting codes. We don't want our population to be a nation of flag wavers simply because the All Blacks just happen to win a game of rugby. This is not what national pride is all about."

- Doug Davidson (Te Aro), October 2004


"New Zealand has changed drastically since the nineteenth century. We are no longer an isolated British province, but an independent country. Within the flag, the prominent Union Jack clearly says that we are British property, the Southern Cross merely indicating that we are a province of the southern persuasion. What does it actually say about us, as a people? Nothing at all.

A new flag gives energy and a sense of independence and self determination in this new millennium.

Despite the bigger picture, the flag itself is not really very aesthetically pleasing. That is to say, it is bearable, but does not induce any "Oh wow, that's an interesting flag" reactions. Partly, I think, because red, white and blue have been done to death in flags. England, Australia, Chile, Cuba, the Czech Republic, France, Iceland, North Korea, Laos, Liberia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Nepal, Panama, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the USA, Thailand and Yugoslavia all have the same colour scheme as us.

We need a new flag that stirs the heart and focuses the mind. It's time to move!"

- Geoff Rowe (Howick, Auckland), May 2005

Craig Heatley, Founder, Sky Television
"One of the things I love about the US is how patriotic they are and how their flag is such a vivid symbol of their individuality and nationhood. As an aside, I was keen to help fund a scheme just to get our flag flown at every school in the country - typically got lost in the Education Department bureaucracy and drowned. We are in fact a better little country than a lot of New Zealanders realise."

Dick Hubbard, Founder Hubbard Foods, now Mayor of Auckland City
"I completely and absolutely support the campaign for the redesigning of the New Zealand flag. I appreciate the sentimentality attached to the existing flag, particularly by those that have served under it in the armed forces. However, I believe that more than ever we, as a country, need a strong identity and a strong brand. A flag is in essence a country's 'brand' and an appropriately designed flag would give us a greater degree of national identity, both outside the country and inside the country than we have at the present time. A distinctive identity through a distinctive flag encourages patriotism and I believe that patriotism is something we currently don't have enough of in New Zealand."

Stephen Tindall, Founder of The Warehouse and The Tindall Foundation
"While I appreciate the sentiment surrounding our current flag, it is time for a change. I fully support the new design. It depicts what we as New Zealanders stand for - a strong and powerful nation. We are proud of our heritage and the silver fern symbolises that."

More opinions from the nzflag website:

"I would be very surprised if I am the only New Zealander that never quite knows how many stars we have."
My comment: The simple answer to that is four stars. As far as I'm aware, it's been that number all along. It's not a hard number to remember!

"The NZ flag seems to me to be a rather anachronistic symbol."
My comment: To some that may be the case, but to many it isn't necessarily.

"I cringe when I see our current flag drawing us back to our northern hemisphere past."
My comment: Yes, Britain was a significant part of our past, but it's not something of which we need to be ashamed. Absolutely no reason to cringe.

"The current symbol of our nationhood is such a confused mess that it has no power."
My comment: Everyone's entitled to their opinions, but I disagree with this one. What kind of 'power' is it supposed to have anyway?

"So who are we? According to our current flag, a bunch of poms in the South Pacific."
My comment: Admittedly one quarter of our present flag acknowledges our British heritage, but we can't escape the reality that a majority of us do trace our ancestry back to that part of the world. I'm not suggesting for one moment that we keep the Union Jack on any future flag, but it's going a bit far to suggest our flag depicts us as 'a bunch of poms'.

"It's time we grew past believing we are an English colony."
My comment: I don't think anyone seriously believes we're still an English colony, Union Jack or no Union Jack on our flag.

"Our present flag ... has done its time and served us well. We've moved on from the 'British thing' now, so time for a change, to a flag that reflects who we are."
My comment: Yes, that seems to sum up where we're now at as a nation.

"I have sailed many seas but never flew our country's flag out of embarrassment."
My comment: I spent three months and 20,000 kilometres driving across the USA in the early 1980s and proudly flew a smallish New Zealand flag on the car's radio aerial. I still possess that tattered flag today. To be fair, if I was to make the same trip today, I'd quite possibly fly both the current flag (while it still is the current flag) and, underneath it, the black flag sporting the fern.

"I strongly support the distinctive black and white silver fern flag, not as stylized as you have shown [the middle one above], but it is a good starting point to begin the debate."
My comment: I'd go along with that.

"The current New Zealand flag is irrelevant and unidentifiable."
My comment: It may not be as 'relevant' as it once was, but I do not agree that it's unidentifiable.

"Let's change the flag to something that reminds us of who we are and not one that sees us worrying in case we're saluting the Australian version."
My comment: I can understand how foreigners who haven't seen the Australian and New Zealand flags apart might get them mixed up (but that happens with our accents too!). However if those of us living down under can't tell the two apart, it's time we made the effort!

"New Zealand is HOT at the moment! Let's do it before Australia does. We are leaders not followers ... and, of course, it's gotta be BLACK!"
My comment: I'd go along with that too. I must admit that black isn't my favourite colour, but anyone pushing for any other colour is likely to be fighting a losing battle!

"Our current flag is outdated."
My comment: I concede that perhaps it has just about reached its use-by date.

"I should point out that I'm a wee bit suspicious about flag waving."
My comment: I'm very much in favour of flag waving, pride in country, etc.

Now for the last word .....

Humphry Rolleston, Company Director, Investor
"It is no longer appropriate to have another nation's flag as part of our flag. The Prime Minister should appoint a committee of six to recommend two new flag choices to New Zealanders in time for the next general election. The two choices plus the retention of our existing flag could then be voted on."