Napier's new flag? Hawke's Bay councils propose shake-ups to start 2020

Hawke's Bay councils are flagging some interesting changes to start 2020, with one even considering changing its name.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council Deputy Chairman Rick Barker wants to change the name of the HBRC to Environment Hawke's Bay.

It will be discussed at a meeting on Wednesday after Barker submitted a notice of motion to initiate investigations into changing council's name.

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Barker said the name change would help the public separate the council from those of Napier and Hastings, and identify its main purpose as environmental.

"The name doesn't really give people any clue as to what it does," he said.

During the last election the regional council asked people what they thought the purpose of the council was, and he said that many didn't have any idea.

He feels that changing its name it will give a clear understanding to people of the council and its works and says that it's not much of a change as many other regions, such as Canterbury and Southland, have done the same thing.

Some don't think it's a good idea, including local government expert Dr Dean Knight who slammed the idea on Twitter, calling it a "dreadful move".

Meanwhile, Napier City Council has proposed changing the official flag of the city, because the current one does not meet appropriate requirements for a flag.

The flag will be discussed in its first meeting of the year on Thursday.

Napier City's current flag is unusual in that it contains the full Coat of Arms of Napier, which has limitations around who can display it.

The proposed flag, known as a heraldic flag, has been designed to incorporate the shield of the Coat of Arms with elements such as the roses, waves and "golden fleece".

The three red roses are taken from the coat of arms of Lord Napier and Ettrick, a direct descendant of Sir Charles Napier, after whom Napier was named.

The wavy undulated blue bands on the shield are the accepted heraldic symbols for coastal towns and denote tourist resorts and ports.

The Golden Fleece is the heraldic symbol of the wool industry, of which Napier is one of the largest centres in New Zealand.

Council was notified in 1995 by the Royal College of Arms in England that a full Coat of Arms should not be included on a flag.

It is unknown to council why the change wasn't made then, the agenda states.

A member of the public recently requested authorisation to purchase and display the Napier flag which was unable to be given due to the flag's current inclusion of the entire Coat of Arms.

After conversation with the Ministry of Culture and Heritage and review of council's archival records in relation to the flag, before a "correct" city flag was designed.

Napier City Council developed its own branding (the Norfolk pine) relatively recently and this design is used for council related flags and banners.

However the formal flag for Napier City is meant to be presented based on the Coat of Arms.

The agenda also states that there will be no need for any public consultation as "the correct design of a heraldic flag is a specialised matter and does not trigger Council's Significance and Engagement Policy or any other consultation requirements".

Councillors have the option in Thursday's meeting to either adopt the correct heraldic flag of the City of Napier, providing the option for members of the public to buy and display the flag if they wish or to maintain the current flag only, with the full Coat of Arms, which will be for council use only.