Flag debate: Maori split on need for new design

Many Maori would welcome a new flag if it reflected tangata whenua. However, concerns remain about disrespect for the current ensign.

The Herald has also found little support for the Tino Rangatiratanga flag as a viable national option.

Sociologist Dr Tracey McIntosh said a new design would better reflect the country's shared history, because while the present flag recognised European settlement, it was virtually silent about everyone else.

"At a stretch you might say the stars recognise migratory patterns, but it's a stretch. I think what I'd say is that it's not mindful of other parts of our identity."

Outspoken Anglican minister Dr Hone Kaa said the "Union Jack has done its dash".

"I like the Tino Rangatiratanga flag but that's the Maori flag. I think a new flag ought to express something of our country, something distinctive. It must also express something of the spirituality of the nation because it's going to be for all of us."

Haami Piripi of Te Rarawa tribe is typical of a group who do not want the flag changed, saying there is "real love" for the current ensign.

Each component had a whakapapa to it, a "story in symbols" that meant something to the country, he said. Holding on to it honoured soldiers who fought in the Maori Battalion and later campaigns since World War II.

Mr Piripi said if there was a change, he is not keen on the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, which he believes would be recognised first as a symbol for Maori rather than representing nationhood.

In a similar vein, former Silver Fern Noeline Taurua said any change would be "disrespectful to those who had bled for the flag".

A new flag would not get the pulse racing in the same way, she said.

"I don't think you'd get the same tingle, or the hair standing up on the back of your neck. I don't think a new flag would have any history or substance."

All Black great Buck Shelford said the flag spoke to him only of colonialism.

"We don't want to hang around on to the shirt-tails of the British Empire. We're independent, we've been that way for a long time. A lot of our European people are hanging on to threads of the past, whereas as Maori people, we know where we come from."

In a rugby crowd you would be hard pressed to pick out an Australian flag from ours, he said. Anything new should reflect tangata whenua and the melting pot of cultures in New Zealand.

Paul Stanley of the Ngaiterangi tribe is ex-military. He said that while he had an appreciation for the colours because of his service, New Zealand was ready for something fresh.

"I think the country is mature enough to go with a new one. I'd even go for the silver fern."

Former National Party Maori vice-president J.C. Bedwell believed it was time for a change - but like many the Herald spoke to yesterday, he was uncertain what could replace the present flag.

"We need a design to say what and who we are, but I'm open, I don't have strong views as to what."

Maria Pera of Ngai Tahu is backing change but says anything new must be inclusive. While she loves the Tino Rangatiratanga flag, she does not think it would do the full job.

"In terms of what it looks like, it has to incorporate indigenous people, but it also has to unite New Zealand around our uniqueness."