Tapu Misa: To a young, proud Pacific nation, the old flag means Jack

Some of you might ask why this matters when there are more important questions facing us. Will it create more jobs? Will it stop the violence in our homes? What difference will a new flag make?

I know I did.

It's not that I like that flag. There's not much to like, unless you have the kind of deep emotional attachment that's often ascribed to our ageing servicemen. (Though, as some have pointed out, those men didn't fight for a flag; they fought for their country, and for each other.)

Frankly, I've never had trouble being a proud New Zealander and being utterly indifferent to the flag. But maybe that's the problem.

Mark Twain once quipped that America's "one true and honest symbol" was "the gaudiest flag the world has ever seen".

If a flag symbolises the spirit and identity of a country, our flag would say this: that we Kiwis still see ourselves as an outpost of Britain, that we're unoriginal and boring, and that we're too apathetic to get rid of our colonial hangovers. (Like God Save The Queen, which is still one of our two official national anthems.)

It might also say that we're Australian, since most of the world can't tell our flags apart. Recall the time the Canadian Government raised the New Zealand flag in honour of Aussie PM Bob Hawke's 1985 visit.

So our flag isn't even fit for purpose: it fails to do the very least that a flag should, which is to clearly and instantly distinguish us from the rest of the pack.

It's time we took a leaf out of the Canadians' book. In 1964, the Canadians ditched their boring red ensign with the Union Jack for the stunningly simple, instantly recognisable (and much loved) Maple Leaf flag. There was, of course, heated debate and a fair bit of indifference and hostility at the time, but 45 years later, no one can remember what all the fuss was about.

As a former Canadian consul writes, the Canadian flag debate was "an inevitable stage in our national maturation and as an early step in a more fundamental re-definition of our national identity".

It's time we grew up, too. A new flag is inevitable, a necessary step towards adulthood. It won't necessarily make us more united, but it ought to reflect the best of what we are: a young, dynamic, proudly independent nation in the Pacific, with a distinct identity.

It's never been a question of "should we change?", but "when?" So what are we waiting for?

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