New Zealand announces final shortlist for new flag design
Posted: Tue Sep 01, 2015 2:36 am
http://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2 ... esign-live
![Image](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a3f5750f579cd4963b38c8ebaf7a111ae63b4402/0_0_2500_1500/master/2500.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d0022b7b9655e70215e989c774748e97)
![Image](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/a3f5750f579cd4963b38c8ebaf7a111ae63b4402/0_0_2500_1500/master/2500.jpg?w=620&q=85&auto=format&sharp=10&s=d0022b7b9655e70215e989c774748e97)
I can't tell if this is a joke. Surely Teaos would have said something?Between three ferns (and a koru)
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”.