Rob's search for a new flag...

[Ian Warren]

True

[toprob]

On the bus trip into Christchurch this morning, I did see one of the new flag designs flying on a pole in Heathcote. It was one of the fern designs, blue and red, with stars, and I must admit it looked very nice in the very stiff wind at the time. It made the old flag (up the road at the Gondola) look very dowdy...

[Ian Warren]

You should have taken a photo

[toprob]

I'll take my camera next time I'm off to town.

[Ian Warren]

I wonder If they are going to change it just see and get public opinion ?

[dbcunnz]

I wonder If they are going to change it just see and get public opinion ?

Dictator Keys wants it changed so it will get changed irrespective of the referendum or what the NZ public want.

[Charl]

It was one of the fern designs, blue and red, with stars

If you think about everything that goes into deciding a flag's design: there is no other alternative, really.
Even the Aussie wisecracks say it:

Judging by the sheer number of variations on this theme, it seems inevitable this will become the design. For us, it lacks the one ingredient that would make the country of origin instantly recognisable to non-New Zealanders: a sheep.

I enjoyed the Australian sniping, they probably are thinking about a new flag too, too late mates we are there already.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/world/australia/ ... eyre-awful

[NZ255]

Herald article with some flags in the wild
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/flag-debate/n ... d=11497460

[Fozzer]

As a non-New Zealander, I always get confused by all those "swirly" patterns, which I suppose, are attributed to the original Maori population in some way?

To me, they just remind me of the aggressive tattoos on the rippling arm muscles and necks of shaven, polished headed, gun-toting, American (and New Zealand) Cops!

The "Sheep" idea would make much more sense to me...

...as I survey this New Zealand neck of Lamb in my shopping basket!

And "Ferns"?...what is that all about?.... ....!

Paul The Confussed.... ...!

P.S....Flags again...I see that Cuba has had the Spar-Spangled-Spanner rammed down its throats again!...>>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-33919484 ..... ....!

[Ian Warren]

Going the other way tho .. after the debacle I had here for two years , those shave NZ Police with the Tattoos .... frankly I wish they were armed ! , Nice thing was being a snitch or keeping my eyeballs out , .... any rude Gesture .. instant call to the NZPD

Paul ... the Fern was a symbol used after WWII in the roundel off the RNZAF aircraft , on it introduction there was a lot of controversy , the then Gov kept until finally in the 1970s replaced it with the KIWI because the Fern looked to much like the historical sign , a white feather of cowardice.

Now they wanta put it on a flag ... well yeah .. have true thoughts on that , I'm not a royalist or what ever but before spending money changing the flag ..... Get the country its INTERDEPENDENCE first ! ..... that the first task rather crawl back to a Queenie half a world away

[Fozzer]

Funny you should mention the; "Kiwi", Ian...

Its something which, to me, always seems particular to New Zealand, and rarely appears anywhere else!

...and yet it doesn't appear on any of the new flag suggestions!

Paul.... ....!

[Ian Warren]

At the mo its just the stupidity off whole bloody ... change the flag ... commercial lines , company logos , anything with a flag on it .. the Royal NZ FERN ? .. it pretty pathetic.

[Fozzer]

There was a fear, a short while ago, that if Scotland went independent from the United Kingdom, that the Union Flag (not Jack!) would lose one of its "crosses".

But I don't suppose that most folks would realise the fact, as most of us don't waste our time going about waving flags at every opportunity!

Who invented the bloody; "Flag", anyway?... ...!

Paul.... ...!

[Ian Warren]

PRIRATES

[Fozzer]

PRIRATES

.... ... ... ...!

Paul... ...!

"Prirates": Ianglish for; "Pirates"..... ...!

[Ian Warren]

It this artwork thingy ... nothing on TV .. some Bridalgroom Foooseball cup

[toprob]

The flag pro and con posts have started on my Facebook feed, pretty evenly split, whereas the TPPA posts are almost all against. Plus there were some good turnouts to the protests today, I wasn't there as I had no money on my metro card...

Just to add something about the different designs -- the 'koru' design is one of the most well-known of Maori graphic designs, it represents the unfurling frond of the silver fern, and it can symbolise rebirth. It is also given in the form of a bone carving as a gift, which absorbs part of the spirit of the wearer, so the gifter sometimes wears it for a short time first, to give it some of their own spirit.

I gave my daughter a koru a while ago, as it is similar to the 'spiral' rebirth shape that they use at the Steiner school where all my kids went.

It can also mean harmony, and this is the main reason why I like it -- it is the antithesis of all the symbols of invasion, empire-building and war.

Just a quick bit too about the kiwi -- I'm a kiwi, and my family are all kiwis, I can remember my step-children and ex-wife becoming kiwis when they became NZ citizens -- I made them all a teeshirt with a different cute kiwi cartoon on each. But this doesn't really have anything to do with the cute little bird, except that we are both -- the people and the bird -- natives of New Zealand. So 'kiwi' represents the people, and a picture of the bird doesn't. Therefore a picture of a kiwi doesn't belong on our flag.

Now a sheep, that's different -- just think of the koru as a mutton chop, and vote with your stomach:)

[Ian Warren]

I was thinking simply drawing a Koru .. add the nose off an aircraft flagging out from the post .. trouble was every time someone died ..... a bloody plane would crash ..... again even before a flag thing , change the rules of the game , first thing is get away from people/outside Gov and do it on our own .. the TTPPPAA is a good example .. they only want what the country gives and ...hell's they give it away anyway , not how ya run a bis , that is what a country is , a company , you don't sell your machine shop .... whoops done that .. , so what the point off a flag change ....

[Fozzer]

Its a funny old do.... ....

But as an Ancient Brit, (in England), with ancestors dating back to Iron age times, I tend to look upon my Flight Sim friends in the USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, as "ex-pats" originating/escaping from other countries; Europe, Asia and the Far East.... ...!

Many of my USA and Canadian Flight Sim Chums I see as; English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish, as well as other parts of the World...rather than; "Americans"!

...the same could apply to my NZ Chums!

Marty, to me, is; "Russian"!

Ian, is a Bloke from; Iangland!.... ...!

...etc...etc...

Are you happy with being disassociated from your/ancestors country of origin?

....and is you allegiance totally devoted to your new country?

Always curious!

Paul.... ...!

[Ian Warren]

Paul .. I'll start me own tribe .. the PRIRATES ... , A good example , any body here heard off the 'WARD 42 GL Capstan' , fantastic machines and could do anything a modern machining lathe would do ... you could use it for anything , rather than keeping it on a workshop floor is was trundled outside ... and left to rot ... I stopped at the shop and when one said to me come and look at this ... I went ballistic at the owner ...

Coming back from Wigram maybe a month later ... what do you know .. there it is on the fork lift going back inside ... YOU DON'T BREAK SOMETHING THAT IS NOT BROKEN UNTIL YOU HAVE SOMETHING BETTER! ... that machine Waaasssss so good and even machined and made parts in WWII ...

WHY dose a rich million money twit/brat want to change the flag so Desperately ..... if it not broken yet ... leave alone .... its simple .