NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • All Blacks
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

John Key says no but here's how Red Peak flag could be included in referendum

NZME.
6 Sep, 2015 10:36 PM5 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Bill English won't revisit Red Peak as a flag design. Photo / Supplied, aotearoaflag.tumblr.com
Bill English won't revisit Red Peak as a flag design. Photo / Supplied, aotearoaflag.tumblr.com

Bill English won't revisit Red Peak as a flag design. Photo / Supplied, aotearoaflag.tumblr.com

The Red Peak flag, which has seen growing public support to be added to the shortlisted flag designs for the upcoming referendum, will not be an option for voters to select, the Prime Minister says.

The flag, by Aaron Dustin has seen a groundswell of support on social media, including a change.org petition with close to 21,000 signatures to have it included in the shortlist.

The petition calls for Red Peak to be added as a fifth option to the current shortlisted four designs.

And Act Party leader David Seymour has said if that is not realistic, then there is nothing stopping John Key from making Red Peak one of the four.

"They needn't change the law, in fact they could do it today with the stroke of a pen by Order in Council," Mr Seymour said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The best chance of making this whole process worthwhile is to substitute one of the two nearly identical fern/cross designs out and substitute Red Peak in."

Mr Seymour wrote on his Facebook page that even people that support change were underwhelmed by the final four choices.

"Red Peak has gotten more positive buzz over one weekend than pretty much the whole flag change process to date.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's clever, it's original, it's simple yet distinctive, and it tells a story that is about New Zealand."

But Prime Minister John Key this morning said that would not happen.

Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      "This is the problem with the Red Peak or anything else, there will always be a range of views about whether to change and a range of views on what to go to, and that's what makes the process immensely difficult," he told TV3's Paul Henry this morning.

      Asked if he could guarantee it would not be an option on the ballot paper in November, Mr Key said: "I can, because this is the issue, there was a well set out process, the committee decided the four, sent them to Cabinet, Cabinet had the right to overrule them but chose not to, they accepted the recommendations.

      Discover more

      Opinion

      Referendum not the be all and end all

      04 Sep 05:00 PM
      New Zealand

      Do the flags fly with kids?

      04 Sep 05:00 PM
      Opinion

      Greg Dixon: 'I don't want to live in NZ'

      05 Sep 04:25 AM
      New Zealand

      NZ flying the flag for hidden costs?

      05 Sep 05:00 PM

      "To accept any other flag - the All Blacks one with the silver fern, any other one - we would have to change the law, and we're not going back to Parliament to change the law."

      Mr Key denied it was a "diabolical problem" to the flag referendum, and the PM's hopes to change the flag.

      Decoding the Red Peak Flag

      Source: Rick Davidson (app users tap here)

      Yesterday a spokesman for Flag Minister Bill English said there would be no changes to the shortlist.

      "A lengthy process was followed, the panel has made its recommendations and the referendum is proceeding."

      Red Peak may also not be as popular among the wider public as on social media. It features an abstract design, whereas the silver fern was by far the most popular symbol for a new flag in the most recent Herald Digipoll survey.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood
      Silver Fern (Black, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood
      Koru - by Andrew Fyfe
      Koru - by Andrew Fyfe
      Silver Fern (Red, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood
      Silver Fern (Red, White and Blue) - by Kyle Lockwood
      Silver Fern (Black & White) - by Alofi Kanter
      Silver Fern (Black & White) - by Alofi Kanter

      More than half of those polled (55 per cent) said the silver fern should feature, either on its own or alongside another symbol. Most of those - 30 per cent - said the alternative flag should feature the Southern Cross and silver fern, as in the two Kyle Lockwood designs. A further 15 per cent chose the silver fern on its own.

      The Governor General has already signed the Order in Council formalising the official four flags selected by the Flag Consideration Panel and signed off by Cabinet.

      Electoral law expert Graeme Edgeler said it was technically possible for Cabinet to revoke that and pass a new Order in Council to swap Red Peak for another shortlisted design, but a law change would be needed to add a fifth option. There may also be practical difficulties if the Electoral Commission had already started printing referendum papers.

      The decision on whether the flag changes could come down to whether people like the alternative. That showed while 23 per cent supported change in principle, a further 24 per cent said it would depend what the proposed new flag was. Fifty three per cent were opposed to change in principle.

      Meanwhile, one of the country's best known artists has spoken out in support of Red Peak.

      Dick Frizell told Newstalk ZB he is a fan of the geometric flag's simplicity, which can be interpreted in a variety of ways.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      A "long shot"

      The Nelson man who kicked off the campaign has admitted getting the flag design added to the shortlist was a "really long shot", but more choices needed to be available to voters.

      "It's almost been pre-determined that it's going to be a fern with stars," venture capitalist Rowan Simpson told Radio New Zealand this morning.

      Simpson said he did not set out to start a movement, but was so underwhelmed by the new designs he had to do something.

      The Red Peak flag was a "considered and elegant" design that deserved to make the shortlist, he said.

      "The important thing is the story that people attach to these things, and this design has a really great story underlining it, and lots of people have latched onto that in the past few days."

      The flag represents the 'first to the light', Dustin has said, and "attempts to communicate the uniqueness of New Zealand's land, light and position".

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      It incorporates New Zealand's mountainous geography, the fact New Zealand is one of the first countries to see the dawn, and the Maori myth of Ranguinui and Paptuanuku.

      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from New Zealand

      New Zealand|crimeUpdated

      'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

      04 Jul 08:00 AM
      New Zealand|crime

      'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

      04 Jul 07:20 AM
      Wellington

      'Amazing woman': Kiwi killed by elephant remembered as adventurous traveller

      04 Jul 06:53 AM

      There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation
      New Zealand

      'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

      04 Jul 08:00 AM
      'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit
      New Zealand

      'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

      04 Jul 07:20 AM
      ‘Hug therapy’: How Pope Leo is trying to unify Vatican
      World

      ‘Hug therapy’: How Pope Leo is trying to unify Vatican

      04 Jul 07:14 AM
      'Amazing woman': Kiwi killed by elephant remembered as adventurous traveller
      Wellington

      'Amazing woman': Kiwi killed by elephant remembered as adventurous traveller

      04 Jul 06:53 AM
      Royal NZ Air Force establishes first dedicated space unit
      New Zealand

      Royal NZ Air Force establishes first dedicated space unit

      04 Jul 06:24 AM

      Latest from New Zealand

      Two pedestrians injured in serious Canterbury crash, road closed

      Two pedestrians injured in serious Canterbury crash, road closed

      04 Jul 08:40 AM

      The crash happened at 7.40pm at the Harts Rd and Leeston Rd intersection in Leeston.

      'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

      'Please do not do it': Man inflicted intense pain on woman during violation

      04 Jul 08:00 AM
      'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

      'Couldn't even walk': Hospo staff foil legless drunk driver who blew six times legal limit

      04 Jul 07:20 AM
      'Amazing woman': Kiwi killed by elephant remembered as adventurous traveller

      'Amazing woman': Kiwi killed by elephant remembered as adventurous traveller

      04 Jul 06:53 AM
      From early mornings to easy living
      sponsored

      From early mornings to easy living

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week
      Subscribe now

      All Access Weekly

      From $2 per week
      Pay just
      $15.75
      $2
      per week ongoing
      Subscribe now
      BEST VALUE

      All Access Annual

      Pay just
      $449
      $49
      per year ongoing
      Subscribe now
      Learn more
      30
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search