Who Wants a New Flag?!
I am sure, that you have heard about the so called Flag Debate in New Zealand. In 2014/2015 they held a referendum to change its flag for a couple of reasons but ultimately they didn’t change it, for now. But to completely understand why they want to change it, discuss some pro and con arguments, let’s start from the very, very, very beginning, because well everything has a start.
During WW2, Prime Minister Peter Fraser received demands to change the flag. People wanted to include the Maori emblem into on the flag. He wanted to wait after the war to discuss this matter but he never mentioned this debate ever again. Then the 70s came. Before May 1973 the people of New Zealand wanted to debate about changing it or keeping it as the way it is. The Labour Party voted the remit down of changing the flag.
1997 Allan Highet suggested changing the lag but he had only little support so nothing changed. At the end of the 80s they tried again to hold a referendum. The decision was between the current national flag and the United Tribes flag but the national flag won the minority vote with 45.6%. You might guess now, that this debate is having a long, very long debate if you take if from the start during the WW2 but we are still not finished because the 90s are right around the corner.
In 1992 Matiu Rata, who was a politician of Maori descent called for a flag change “to re-establish our national identity”.
In 1998 they preferred the Silver Fern Flag but because of the opposition they couldn’t pull this idea through.
People created a campaign the NZ Flag.com Trust in 2004. They wanted again a referendum and signed a petition for this. They also preferred the Silver Fern Flag but because of this an opposition was founded. The group in favour of changing the flag only collected 100 thousand signatures, but they needed 270 thousand. NZ Flag.com Trust completely stepped back from the petition. John Key the current Prime Minister supported the idea, in 2014 to change the flag. That meant, that there was again a referendum but again the current flag won. But still he wants to hold another referendum to change the flag.
So… now that we have the history of the debate behind us, why do they want to change the flag? Well I guessed because they want to show more independence from the UK but if we take John Key’s main argument it is because the flag just looks to similar to the Australian flag, nothing more, well and that it bothers him. The whole referendum thing, costs millions and millions and just because it looks too similar? That’s it? But still for some people a change would be quite welcomed because the current flag seems to just acknowledge people of British heritage and ignores the Maori people. That’s a good reason I guess and of course, sure New Zealand is part of the Common Wealth, just like Australia and Canada but it doesn’t really means anything, anymore. So why keep the current flag with the Union Jack? For some people it just has a historical Value, that a lot of people died for this flag or under this flag and it should be honored and not changed. So why change it? I don’t really know but what I know or might guess is that this debate is far from over. Maybe never. But until now John Key has to live to be confused with Australia for a very long time, I am sure of it.
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