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My flag offering

Some more designs in colour, coming soon.

It’s hard to find a flag that pleases everyone, because we all want different things – a fern, Southern Cross, kiwi, koru, a coloured flag, or black and white (plus, of course, the flag that we have), so we all need to compromise in some way. Some symbolic designs have no obvious link to New Zealand at all, and I am totally against having such a flag. If we are going to change the flag, then it must be for good reason, and not just for the sake of having a new one. There are a number of reasons we should have a new flag (as explained on a previous page).
The most important thing is that it really means something to us as New Zealanders. My design shown here is an attempt to please most of us.

About the design:  I hope this is a flag we would instantly recognise, without any explanation at all. It says to the world (and to us), "This is New Zealand, this is who we are – and we’re proud to be Kiwis". With the koru design, my intention was just to include a Maori aspect, but see if you can also see Cook Strait, rivers and glaciers, and our mountain ranges. Think of the blue sky as being across water, and you will get a sense of our remoteness and natural beauty.

My verdict:  It's a little different to most flags, but it has all the elements that people say they want, and is unmistakeably a New Zealand flag. Obviously, it would be more conventional to have one or two less features, but each one seems important, and I feel reluctant to go without any of them. The good thing is that it's definitely not a black & white flag, but it does have that connection for our national sports teams (sadly missing with our current flag, especially at the Olympics). I know some of you will be concerned that the kiwi might become extinct, but even if that happened, we will always be known as Kiwis ourselves. What better incentive to make sure we keep them alive, than to have their image on our national flag?

If we can put aside convention, we would soon get used to the unusual layout (I know I have), and it shows a freedom of spirit that I find appealing. The more I look at it myself, the more I can imagine feeling very proud of it. Dare to be different! (It's what we do best).

What makes an ideal flag?  I suggest the following points are a good test to go by:
♦   That the design is not similar to any other flag (and unlikely to be copied)
♦   is viewable from either side
♦   can easily be recognised hanging by the pole
♦   is recognisable in black & white (the best ones are, because of some unique feature)
♦   is easy enough for flag-makers to produce
♦   simple enough for school pupils to draw
♦   and a New Zealander living overseas would be stopped short if they saw it in the country where they live, and just know it was a NZ flag.

I think any new flag that doesn't meet these criteria will cause ongoing dissatisfaction, and we would end up wanting to change it again. The right design should make us proud of it forever.

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