Green MP Rod Donald will be asking the Prime Minister to hold a referendum at the next election on the future of the New Zealand flag.
"The New Zealand flag is a potent symbol of our identity as a nation and I'm concerned that we're often mistaken for Australia or a British colony on the world stage," said Mr Donald, the Greens' Co-leader.
"While every New Zealander would have been proud to see our flag raised when the Evers-Swindell twins won gold in the double sculls, most Kiwis would've been disappointed that it hung limp and indistinguishable from the Australian flag. In contrast, the silver fern emblazoned on uniforms was instantly recognisable."
Mr Donald said he was not pushing for the silver fern to become the new flag.
"But I am calling on the Government to formally initiate the referendum process by conducting a binding poll at the next election which would ask New Zealanders to decide whether or not they want to change the flag."
The next step could be to either follow the process outlined by nzflag.com, which involves an alternative flag being designed and put to a second referendum, or a number of designs could be presented for New Zealanders to choose from by preferential vote at the second referendum, he said.
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