Few people seem to realise that there is very little significance behind the current NZ flag - it was simply adopted as a war propaganda tool in 1902. We even fly and get teary over a completely different flag when it comes to sporting events - you will be familiar with the iconic silver fern.
Changing the flag has been on the agenda for more than a hundred years. Finally, it is going to referendum.
In case you didn't catch it, that last paragraph was riddled with sarcasm.
When I look at the current flag I see the Union Jack domineering and omnipresent. Which was a pretty good metaphor for life at the start of the 20th century but times have changed and so have we. Colonial Britain will always be part of our history but does that mean it ought to be part of our future? How can we transcend the old conflicts of "Maori" v "The Crown" with a flag that does not symbolise unity and reconciliation?
The leading arguments against a change include: "why change what's not broken", and "but it's part of our historical tie with Britain" and "we should be spending our money on things that really matter - like hospitals".
True, true, true. We should be spending all the surplus money we have on hospitals. In fact, we should probably lift taxes so that we have more money to spend on hospitals. We shouldn't rest until there is no more money left to spend on the hospitals and we live in a perfect world of perfect hospitals.
In case you didn't catch it, that last paragraph was riddled with sarcasm.
There are some things which are as important to our society as public health care. These "things" are not tangible things at all but complex values which form the bedrock of our national identity.
The flag that we choose - that flailing rectangular piece of cloth that dangles in the breeze- matters. It really matters. It stands for who we are as a people and is our face to the rest of the world. Are we colonial remnants of a once vast (but now non existent) British Empire? An empire responsible for some pretty awful things. Or are we a proud, independent South Pacific nation? A modern State that started as a union of two peoples but has now grown to encompass many more.
When I look at the current flag I see the Union Jack domineering and omnipresent. Which was a pretty good metaphor for life at the start of the 20th century but times have changed and so have we. Colonial Britain will always be part of our history but does that mean it ought to be part of our future? How can we transcend the old conflicts of "Maori" v "The Crown" with a flag that does not symbolise unity and reconciliation?
There is another argument that generations of kiwis have fought and died under the current flag and changing would be disrespectful to their sacrifice. That may be true, but it is also true that it's the silver fern which appears on foreign graves of New Zealand soldiers from WW1 to the present day.
This flag debate isn't about abandoning our history. It's about embracing who we are and celebrating it with a symbol - a single icon that New Zealanders have chosen to represent us.
This flag debate isn't about abandoning our history. It's about embracing who we are and celebrating it with a symbol - a single icon that New Zealanders have chosen to represent us.
And what about the cost? The facts are these- it costs 5.60NZD per person. That's not even the price of lunch. That's a pretty good deal. 5.60 and you get to change history. 5.60 and you get to say to your grandchildren that you were part of the generation that finally turned their backs on the dredges of colonialism and turned to face a new and brighter future. 5.60 for the price of your national identity, not some borrowed and tainted identity of a by-gone era.
So please, change the flag. I don't care what design you pick. Pick the one with the kiwi in a spaceship for all I care but please just change it to one that is ours. No more flailing about, this stuff really matters.
(for details on how the process is going to work read here).
Kiwis with lasers - preferably targeting a Kangaroo down in the left hand corner - that's what we need on our flag!
ReplyDeleteIt shows that we understand that we are inextricably linked with that God forsaken country across the ditch, but we don't have to be happy about it. ;-)
Jokery aside I'm kinda ambivalent- I grew up with our existing flag, I like that we had ours before the freaking Aussies nicked our design, (Aussies are always nicking our stuff, that's their heritage I guess), I like that it has been representative of our country for a long time and that many generations recognise it, but I'm also aware that internationally it is barely distinguishable from that of the "Lucky" country, (Lucky the inhabitants don't rob you bare, and leave you without water for all the critters to eat!).
I also think that all of your emotive language about colonialism is misplaced. The British bought the rule of law to NZ at the request of the local tribes. Most of the dis-service done to the Maori wasn't by the British but by corrupt officials devoid of morals from our own elected government. It's easy to point the finger overseas to a faceless colonial power as the source of all evil, it's less satisfying to realise that many of our own are just as self centred and corrupt... Just saying.
I'm voting for a flag change. NZ's strongest relationships are with the South Pacific and SE Asia. Our identity as a country is now embedded and will continue to grow with those parts of the world. We must look forward and think about the NZ brand, identity, global position and legacies for our mokupuna. A new flag will reflect our own identity as a nation, and unleash us from the past so that we can think and live clearly for the future. Martin
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