Editorial: Flag can wait bit longer

FILE

While this year's election would have been a good opportunity to poll the nation on our flag, it does make sense to separate the issue from all the noise and kerfuffle September 20 will bring.

Prime Minister John Key yesterday announced New Zealanders would get a vote on whether to keep our flag in the next Parliamentary term.

In the previous 24 hours there had been speculation a referendum could take place alongside this year's election.

The sucker-for-novelty in me would have liked to get the ball rolling on this, but the common sense in me thinks holding off is the right decision.

Changing the flag is an issue nearly everyone has a strong view on. But it's also an issue many say is too unimportant to spend time debating.

"HUNGRY KIDS CAN'T EAT A FLAG," pronounced Hone Harawira in full capitals in a press release. "What does it take to get this government to focus on the real issues?" he asked in a more reasonable upper and lower case format.

He has a point. And despite what I argued in a recent editorial ["There will always be more worthy issues to deal with. Nothing would ever get achieved if you always ran with that argument."] so do many others.

Even Rotorua MP Todd McClay agrees it's not the most pressing issue currently.

But there are more important election issues that should be focused on this year.

The flag is an important issue. And it does need to be debated and discussed.

Those who would keep the current flag may disagree, but let's not forget the outcome of whatever process we use to decide the issue could be the status quo.

The current official flag has been in place for 112 years - it can wait a little bit longer to find out its fate.