New Zealand’s (ongoing) flag debate

On the 24th of March 2016, nearly 57 % to 43, 2 % of all voters in New Zealand voted to retain the current flag. But why has this flag debate become so heated? Well, in fact since the announcement of a referendum on a new flag by the current Prime Minister John Key in 2014, there has been a lot of debate about the current flag and to my mind the reasons for a change are quite comprehensible:

1. New Zealand has been independent since 1947. However, the current flag with the Union Flag on the top left corner and the four stars representing the Southern Cross, is for many New Zealanders a reminder of the colonial era.

2. The Australian flag is almost identical, which is “totally confusing” for the rest of the world — John Key has quite a lot to say about this - for example news broadcasts placed him in front of the wrong flag.

During my research on this topic, I discovered that there is even an internet joke on Buzzfeed claiming that New Zealand doesn’t exist, is distorted or omitted on maps and even thought to be a state of Australia. In the first place this is quite funny, but I also think that this fact is clearly hurtful to some New Zealanders and therefore I also understand that the ongoing confusion has led to the flag referendum.

If you consider these reasons, I guess you cannot blame the government for considering alternative designs to be put to a referendum. Even after this referendum and a clear statement by the majority of New Zealanders to retain the current flag, the debate is surely not over at all: The chairman of Change the NZ Flag campaign group, Lewis Holden, told that there was still ‘a large sentiment for change’ and that the supporters of the flag change will keep campaigning.