As this is Queens Birthday weekend, my thoughts come back to NZ and money that is being spent on a new flag, and why we NZers are so keen to spend it on just that.

Whether you have been in the armed forces, or travelled around the world on your big OE, or competed for your country in the world sporting arena, you tend to understand the importance of a country’s flag and the concerns you have when someone gets it wrong.

New Zealand is a small set of islands, at the bottom of the globe with around 4million people on it.  Even though there have been people who have swum between the islands, it is not the land that binds us together, but the will and the drive to do better.  We have an economy many claim to be a “rock star,” we are a people who are known to have the “Number 8 wire mentality” and who are prepared to “think outside the box” – still, when it comes to our flag, we hold it very dear to our hearts.

This could be because we are a small country, and every little change makes a difference in our lives, or it could be because the flag is the symbol that binds us together – after all, that’s why northern Maori voted on the 1834/35 United Tribes flag. 

The discussion about a possible change has upset a lot of people. Questions are again being asked in Northland – Why change? Why now? Who is to gain? We don’t have those answers yet.

When you have a look at the various flags that represent NZ today, you can easily see we are no longer standing firm to the one flag. When our neighbours are using a flag very similar to ours, it’s very easy to see why other countries are getting confused over which flag to use when talking to NZ.  My personal concern is that we will go through this process of flag choosing, and this will divide our country further.

This is not what I want to see, for a united NZ is a strong NZ, and a strong NZ is something I am proud of.

Vince