05 May 2005
Another option in the great New Zealand flag debate - should we keep the one we have or adopt a flag that better reflects the nation's identity in the 21st Century - is to have more than one flag. We New Zealanders live on two little islands (three if you count Stewart Island) at the bottom of the South Pacific.
We are a nation of many races. There are the indigenous people- Maori; the colonisers - the British, who really gave us our first flag; the European immigrants of the 19th and 20th centuries (such as Italians, Greeks, Germans, Poles etc.), the Pacific Island people who came here over recent decades, and most recently Asian immigrants. Are we all New Zealanders? Yes we are. But how on earth are we going to adopt a flag that reflects this variety - ever growing - of peoples? Will a consensus ever be reached as to a preferred option? Maybe. And will it satisfy everyone? Probably not. Will it look like a fruit salad crossed with a lettuce salad? Quite possibly.
Another nation that has more than one flag is the United Kingdom. It has the good old Union jack, which is a feature of our existing flag and part of our heritage. Then the English have their own flag, as do the Scottish the Welsh and the Irish. Each nation retains its identity while falling under one main flag at certain times. And do we get confused about that? No. So the same possibility exists for New Zealand to have several flags, perhaps for different occasions. Yes it's a different scenario to that of the Brits, granted, but it could be a way to satisfy everyone in a situation like New Zealand faces over its flag.
Now several means more than two, but not many, so let's not get carried away here. Three flags ought to do it. The main should almost be what we have now - the Union Jack, four, five pointed stars with white borders representing the Southern Cross, all on a royal blue background - incorporating a design to reflect the importance of a Maori nation.
Our place in the Pacific and in Australasia gives a hint as to the design of the second flag. And then there's our love of sports - a subject dear to the hearts of many New Zealanders, which offers the basis for a third flag that teams representing New Zealand could fly. It would then be a matter of the right flag for the right occasion. And if there's any argument over which should be hoisted, fly the lot of them. There's plenty of room up the pole.
The Wellingtonian
(c) 2005 Fairfax New Zealand Limited