Artist agrees it's time to change our flag

FLAGGING CHANGE: Ron de Rooy with his New Zealand flag design that was among the top six chosen in a national competition in 1990.PHOTO/JOHN STONE

New Zealand is one step closer to ditching the national flag many say shackles the country's image to outdated colonialism and a Whangarei artist is all for the change.

Prime Minister John Key has outlined a plan for "a public discussion and vote" - another way of saying a referendum - on New Zealand's flag next parliamentary term.

Mr Key said he believed the current flag symbolised a colonial and post-colonial era whose time has passed.

"I am proposing that we take one more step in the evolution of modern New Zealand by acknowledging our independence through a new flag," he said.

Northland has featured strongly in previous flag debates and design quests.

Whangarei artist Ron de Rooy also designed a flag back in 1990 that was one of six finalists chosen in a competition run in the Listener magazine.

Mr De Rooy doubts his design will get a look in during the newest flag debate, but believed his 1990 design is still modern, relevant, and "it has a lot of information in it".

The current flag is too similar to Australia's and does not say enough about New Zealand as a country, he said.

Mr De Rooy hopes the black-backed silver fern motif - "the worst option for national flag" - won't be picked.

"I personally feel a black flag is very sombre."

Dark green and light blue in Mr De Rooy's design symbolise a new land born from the sea, a kiwi formed in a white crest represents a unique land and multi-cultural society, another green band symbolises the "now" generation and deep gold stars are the Southern Cross.

Another famous modern alternative to the flag is the widely recognised green and white koru design by Austrian artist and long time Northland resident, the late Friedensreich Hundertwasser.

In the news this week, the United Tribes flag, called He Whakaputanga, was the centre of controversy when people in an Auckland suburb demanded it be removed from a council signpost outside an art gallery. The Devonport gallery was showing an exhibition by Hokianga Maori artists.

The United Tribes flag stems back to 1834 when an independent confederation of Maori tribes formed trading and protocol relationships with the British and other foreign interests.

Mr Key's announcement on Tuesday calls for all party leaders to nominate an MP after September's election for a cross-party group to shape the referenda process.

Do you have a design for a possible replacement NZ flag? If so send it to reporters@northernadvocate.co.nz.