I just caught myself wondering if New Zealand really needs a flag, or if New Zealand even exists at all. I’m in the eye of the koru and it’s time to wrap this up.
So, the flag consideration panel has published its shortlist. What now?
The public will be asked to rank the four designs in the first binding postal referendum this year, which will be held between 20 November and 11 December.
This will determine a preferred alternative.
It is statistically likely to be a silver fern design.
The second binding postal referendum will be held in March next year. It will ask voters to choose between the fern (come on, let’s be real) and the current flag.
If the outcome is the new (fern) flag, it will be adopted six months after the decision is announced.
It will be interesting to see which version of events is confirmed.
Guardian Australia will cover each stage of the process.
In the meantime, a “hypnoflag” parody account has already been started on Twitter, and I am thinking about a message from a friend I received about 15 minutes ago, which said, “It is brave of you to run this live blog even though it should objectively be causing you permanent brain damage”.
I can't tell if this is a joke. Surely Teaos would have said something?
"Bible, Wrath of Khan, what's the difference?"
Stan - South Park
The idea to change was good and ready. But they fucked up the selection process so badly. Letting some bureaucratese choose the designs, not hiring a professional. People getting stuck on petty shit like the cost.
What does defeat mean to you?
Nothing it will never come. Death before defeat. I don’t bend or break. I end, if I meet a foe capable of it. Victory is in forcing the opponent to back down. I do not. There is no defeat.
The issue is they got 10,000 submissions, but they didnt pay anyone, any serious designers to have a go at it, so we got these ones.
Also when the list was narrowed down to 40, the people choosing were trying to be ultra PC, so they chose the vast majority of flags representing the native maoris, which severely pissed of the 86% of New Zealand that isnt Maori. Including the huge Pacific Island, India and Asian populations we have, each about the same size as the natives.
So with 40 shitty flags choosen, they back peddled rapidly, chose literally the only 4 people didnt HATE, and thats what we have.
The irony is, the flag that started this debate, a Black flag with a silver fern, simple and used by use for years, is not one of the options, becauseit wasnt included in the 40, since it was to common... so the flag we wanted... isnt there.
What does defeat mean to you?
Nothing it will never come. Death before defeat. I don’t bend or break. I end, if I meet a foe capable of it. Victory is in forcing the opponent to back down. I do not. There is no defeat.
Hypno flag is probably some sort of weapons grade flag aimed at enemies. Wave hundreds of them when a delegation arrives, and then it's "You are feeling sleepy... you will agree a trade deal favourable to New Zealand..."
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
At the rate the polls are going it will be that one.
The only real issue with it is that it does look very similar to Australia.
But then again, Mexico and India are similar. And there are like 7 countires who have white, blue and red stripes in some pattern.
What does defeat mean to you?
Nothing it will never come. Death before defeat. I don’t bend or break. I end, if I meet a foe capable of it. Victory is in forcing the opponent to back down. I do not. There is no defeat.
