A campaign to replace New Zealand's flag was gathering momentum yesterday, with thousands of supporters signing a petition in favour of ditching the present design with its Union flag motif. The campaigners want a referendum on scrapping the version in use today, adopted in 1902, which also features the stars of the Southern Cross in red and white on a blue background. The flag is too easily confused with Australia's and projects the anachronistic image of a subservient British colony, supporters argue. "We are not the country we were 100 years ago," said Dame Catherine Tizard, a supporter of the initiative and a former governor-general. "We do not wear the clothes of a century ago or drive Model T Fords." Sports and media stars and authors have joined the campaign, which was launched by Lloyd Morrison, a Wellington businessman, outside parliament this week. Mr Morrison submitted six alternative designs for the national flag. The most popular option appears to be the silver fern - a native plant - depicted in white on a black background. Many New Zealanders already regard it as their national symbol.
It might look smart, but from a distance that's going to be mistaken for the Jolly Roger.
If public opinion rallies behind the idea of a change, a second referendum should be held on the design of the new flag, Mr Morrison suggested. The old flag still has strong support. Many former servicemen feel that to change the design would be a betrayal of the thousands who died fighting under its colours in two world wars. Other supporters of the status quo link the new campaign to what they suspect is creeping republicanism, although its organisers deny any connection. John Cox, of the New Zealand Flag Institute, a lobby group that seeks to retain the existing ensign, said: "The flag has stood the test of time. A country that abandons its old symbols for no better reason than to follow changing fashions has lost its heart and neglected its heritage." |