Correct - Just another distraction as they push crap like the TPP past us as the King of Banking turns NZ into a company. Bugger!!

On the input, our SOLE input so far has been in submitting designs, and commenting on them.

Of the 10,000 designs, there was a wide range of options completely unrepresented in the 40.

From that 40 they have chosen four, which aren't even a decent spread of options from the 40, let alone the 10,000. (and let's face it they have actually chosen three)

I'm not against change, but this isn't being done well.

Green represents Muslim? Wow, I wonder if Zambia, Guyana and Brazil know that!

There are 49 Southern Hemisphere countries, I fail to see how the Southern Cross represents us in particular.

How does having the Union Jack on the flag makes us a "slave to the mother country". British heritage is an important part of our national identity.
I don't have a problem with the fern, but it's the only feasible option presented.

I am a Canadian (visited NZ several times) but have been following your flag debate with great interest. I was a young boy at the time we changed flags but remember the debate well. All the designs were hated, it was an insult to the millions of veterans from both world wars and Korea, disloyal to our British roots etc., etc... I am sure it sounds familiar.

Today our flag is uniformly loved and immediately recognizable as the symbol of Canada. In the end we chose a simple design that was a clear break from the past. It is up to New Zealanders to choose what is best but both my wife and I immediately favored the Koru design because it said "New Zealand" to us. Good luck.

Mike Hosking by any chance?..

#letsflagit

Try common sense. And No it has not, you are confusing being at a rugby match, and a nations flag, two vastly different things.

Luckily this commentary is only opinion. I think a lot of people, the author of the article included, have lost sight of what a flag is. It is not the silver bullet that will fix all of NZ's woes, it will never be an immediately recognisable all representative emblem of our country.
At best, it will represent a symbol that all Kiwis can relate to, such as the silver fern, and in so doing, it will fulfil its purpose of representing our country to the world in a way that is simple, yet effective.

I think that the black/blue and fern fit the brief perfectly, not over complicated, yet not overly simple either. Since most Kiwis already associate NZ with a fern leaf, and so do many overseas nations, it just makes sense, in the same fashion that everybody associates Canada with the maple leaf. There is no real justification to hold onto the old flag, even during the wars our troops were fighting under the silver fern.

How is the current one not a logo?? Someone else's ensign and a bunch of stars- the main difference is we have replaced the ensign with a NZ recognised fern on the Blue/Red Lockwood version. Like it !

I notice none of the critics have come up with anything at all for a flag design. It is very easy to criticise but unless you can come up with a better solution it is probably better to keep your trap shut.

We have a problem with the current flag being taken as representing Australia and we do need an alternative option. Other than getting Australia to change their flag we have no alterative.

We need something which is something distinctive will stand out like the Canadian maple leaf which , you can say just represents Canadian tree, but it is distinctive. We can do the same with the Silver Fern which no other country has.

Some designs promoted have shown coloured lines in different angles which we are told represent our culture. That means nothing to people of other nations and will not attract attention like the fern will and that is what we need.

Negativity without constructive alternatives is ,well just negativity. When you stop changing you stop.

Why don't we just adopt the Aussie flag?

I very much doubt that one of these will become our flag. Unless Key can rig the final vote.

i see a lot of words, where is your alternative

How is it that all the critics are very quick to offer negative advice and are experts on flags and full of advice on what it should be and what it shouldn't, but have not offered up a so called 'acceptable' flag as an alternative.

This process is about moving forward, and our existing flag was appropriate for the last century, but as a nation we have moved on and need to identify 'globally' as an independent nation, whilst retaining key aspects of past.

I believe the review process has provided four options that take reference to all, two of the four are more inclusive, but the others are also reflective.

As to the knockers, to name a couple , RSA and NZ First. RSA - my father and in-law both were returned servicemen, and would be proud to see NZ as a nation showing maturity and independence which they fought for.

NZFirst, well what can I say, apart from political grand standing,, when has this party ever seen any logic in any proposal flag or otherwise.
I say yes to change.

What could they do if I decided to ignore a new flag and continued to fly the old one? Hang me?