Time to talk about the flag

Facilitator Martin Rodgers talks to a group attending the flag consideration public workshop last night. Photo / Ben Fraser

More than 100 people in Rotorua took an interest in the New Zealand flag as the Flag Consideration Project brought discussions to the city.

Yesterday around 80 people passed through the City Focus stand and another 20 took part in a workshop at the Millennium Hotel last night.

The workshop, led by Martin Rodgers, featured flag panelist Rod Drury discussing the reason for the project and a brief history of the New Zealand flag as it is today.

"This exercise is quite interesting," the Xero chief executive said. "It's been 113 years so why now?"

He said around 90 per cent of other Commonwealth countries had already changed their flags.

"So it's not a new process. There's no presumption of change, whether it changes or not isn't up to the panel."

Those at the workshop took a quiz about the current flag and then watched a short video on the history of it to help their understanding of how the existing flag came about.

There was a chance for discussion at tables before an open forum.

"I don't want a new flag, but I'd like acknowledgement that our true flag [United Tribes of New Zealand] is actually alive," said Michael Staite.

There will be two national referendums, one to rank the four flag alternatives chosen by the panel and a second to choose between the preferred alternative choice and the current flag. The final decision will be made by the public in March.