Flag choices to fly over council building

Current flag and the alternative. File picture

THE New Zealand flag and its referendum rival, the black and blue silver fern flag, will be flown from the same staff at Gisborne District Council’s chambers from next Wednesday.

The council received the two flags after Mayor Meng Foon accepted an offer from the Flag Consideration Panel to display both flags in the run-up to the second referendum.

Alicia Caldwell, senior adviser to Gisborne District Council chief executive Judy Campbell, said both flags would be flown from the staff at the entrance to the council chambers, with the New Zealand flag on top ‘‘as directed’’.

There would be no additional expense involved as another staff was not required.

Ms Caldwell said the two flags would be raised on February 2 to give the public one month to view and compare the two flags. The public can also approach the Flag Consideration Panel to borrow two flags.

The flags have been flying at an Okitu address since before Christmas and are also on flagpoles at Pultron Composites.

The current poll on The Herald website shows 61 percent support for retaining the New Zealand flag, 33 percent for the black and blue silver fern while 5 percent of 371 respondents are undecided.

The Herald’s Facebook page poses the same question.

Comments in favour of the status quo include:• Leave our flag alone, respect our fallen soldiers.

• Be proud of your current flag.

• The ‘‘wannabe flag’’ shouldn’t be on a flagpole at all. It should not be higher than the current flag. The current flag has more guts and glory, sadness and pride, support from the Queen, and the Commonwealth, ANZUS, ANZAC, and allies. The cost to change government flags, schools, businesses, airlines etc is huge. Leave the flag alone.

• For those not born in New Zealand, be quiet in the cheap seats. Keep our flag. I was born while this flag was flying. It means more to me because my kids were born while this flag was flying. The media are asking the wrong people. Get out and interview our elderly, see what they think.

• We need to flag any new flag and just roll with the one we know, respect and love.

Comments in favour of changing the flag include:• Belongs to everyone past present and future. I for one would be happy to have our own flag and not have a share of England’s flag or have to count stars to see if it’s Aussie’s or ours!

• Old flag is from England, we from New Zealand.

• I like the new flag. When you think about it, it’s the same, just replacing the English bit with something Kiwi.

• I prefer the possible new flag. It stands out more and is a good representation of who we are.

• Silver fern means more to me than the Union Jack and our soldiers fought for our country not a flag.

• People are afraid of change. Just because people fought under the current flag doesn’t take anything away from what they did. The fern represents Kiwis much more than our current flag. I think it needs to be different from Australia’s.

• We are New Zealand — multicultural but united. Bring on the new flag.