Bay designs included in flag debate

Havelock North designer George Williams with his variation on the Southern Cross, left. Design / Supplied

Hawke's Bay residents are having their say on a new national flag.

Bay people have submitted 46 designs as part of the Government's Flag Consideration Project.

Hastings resident Patricia Roberts - who made 21 of those submissions - said she was at school when Canada changed its flag 50 years ago. She had wanted a new New Zealand flag ever since and had always been interested in the flag debate.

Hastings woman Patricia Roberts flag designs. Design / Supplied

After the debate took off about 10 years ago, she set up her own website to put the issue to people in a gentle way and help the transition to a new flag.

Most of her flag designs included parts of the current flag. Many were black, accompanied with brighter colours, as she also knew many people opposed a purely black flag.

Mrs Roberts said the first thing she saw when she looked at the New Zealand flag was the union jack.

Hastings woman Patricia Roberts flag designs. Design / Supplied

"I love it as Britain's flag, but it's not our flag. It doesn't say New Zealand, it says Britain."

She felt proud hearing the New Zealand national anthem at Olympic medal ceremonies but said seeing the flag left her "feeling a bit flat".

One of her favourite designs was blue and black with a Southern Cross made of red stars, a fern and a koru design.

Another of her flags had a green line representing New Zealand with blue on either side representing the Tasman Sea and Pacific Ocean. It had a silver fern in the centre, which she said meant a lot as the symbol was seen in all sorts of places including on the headstones of soldiers overseas.

Havelock North designer George Williams submitted three designs to the project, all featuring variations on the Southern Cross.

Mr Williams said the current flag had ties to older generations, but was not really representative of New Zealand.

He had grandparents who fought in wars under the current flag but he thought New Zealand had the opportunity to strike its own identity.

A new flag did not disrespect those who had fought for the current one, he said.

"I just think there's a real opportunity for us to have a stronger identity."

He had also been following the flag debate since the mid-2000s when the original discussion arose. There was talk about a referendum then but it never eventuated.

Mr Williams said the referendum process seemed costly when other causes went wanting, but he thought there was a great desire for change.

He wanted something strong, striking and uncomplicated which did not pigeonhole New Zealanders as one ethnicity.

His favourite submission of his own had one big star in the middle of the flag and three smaller ones spread horizontally. The design was grey, red and white.

The Flag Consideration Project began this month with the public being invited to suggest their flag designs. Suggestions will close on July 16 and a panel will select a shortlist of four designs in September.

As of Monday afternoon, there were 1926 designs suggested by submitters in New Zealand and overseas.

A postal referendum to be held over November and December will determine the preferred alternative flag.

A second postal referendum will be held next March to decide between the current flag and the preferred alternative.

Returned Services Association (RSA) national president Barry Clark said his initial opposition to the referendum and flag change had not changed now that the project was under way.

It was a $26 million process and he understood about $7 million of that was the cost of the flag referendum panel.

The Government was giving $7 million to a group of people to go around convincing people the flag should be changed.

There was an expectation that the RSA would lead the fight against the change, but it would have to fund that fight for itself: "It's a little bit undemocratic."

New Zealand First leader Winston Peters suggested people write "no change" on their first voting slip, which would invalidate their vote. Mr Clark also encouraged people to take that measure.NZME.