I’d say the current flag with the Union Jack in the corner is losing it’s relevance to the great melting pot of Nzders now making up 60% of Auckland.

It’s too similar to the Australian flag. You shouldn’t have to ‘work out’ which fuckin flag is yours, eh? That’s just dumbness of the highest order.

What’s this white feather shit? From when? WWII? Oh please…. no-one’s that old now… fuck me. You’d have to be ten millionty years old to remember WWII and what’s the internet take-up of that demographic?

I’m genuinely surprised at the number of ‘keep the flag’ and ‘keep the flag because of white feather issues’ posts. I’ve never come across that argument until reading this thread but that’s a good one. Learn something new everyday on kiwiblog.

This also the case when our army teams, WW2 and K Force did the haka wearing the fern?

I suspect not. Those facing the rain dance wonder why they are forced (yes, forced) to stand there and show “respect” to a bunch of mainly PI’s and white men sticking their tongues out and stamping their feet.

Believe it or not SPC those facing the rain dance are not traumatised by it, they are not scared out of their boots. Mostly they are bored by it and highly pissed off that they are forced to show the rain dance respect and not allowed to challenge it.

As for me, well I am embarrassed by it. When there is a game on TV featuring the NZ team I always change the channel while the team in black perform the rain dance. It is the height of cultural cringe as far as I am concerned.

Just leave the bloody flag as it is thanks.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10863680

It’s distinct from both the sporting flag (silver fern on black) and the Maori sovereignty flag – but brings together components of both. It also has the southern cross of the existing flag cross – I’d only change the background colour for the stars so they are on a black background as they appear in the night sky.

I suspect the reason why we have black as a national “colour” is because being the antipodeans our night is when the “home country” was in daytime.

And I don’t think it makes for a good flag nor does it make sense to assume because it’s popular in sports that New Zealand is naturally identified by it.

I would think a Koru would likely make a better national flag when we dump that British Ensign.

Personally I don’t care about flag issues. But this phrase is another example of the disgusting practice of opening a line with a statement of fact, only to sneak in that it’s just one person’s opinion.

Why do they do it?
Is it because if we read:

“A leader for a republican movement claims New Zealanders are adopting the Silver Fern as the national flag because they identify with it more than the Southern Cross”

…we’d stop after the 7th word?

It’s just stupid! Do they think they’re smart misleading us like that? Every. Single. Story. It just shows the journalist out for the scummy shit they are.

Imagine Australia versus New Zealand, a stadium full of official flags waving – who would tell any of them apart?

There’s a good reason why the silver fern on black flag has become the de facto sports symbol.

Talking about resemblances, our current flag looks very much like an Australian flag, and always have to look closely to tell them apart, and I know many people can’t tell the difference easily if at all.

Can’t tell the difference? Really?

Can’t differentiate between our 4 stars and the Australian 6 stars (including the great big star under the union jack)?

Can’t tell white stars (Australia) versus red stars (NZ)?

Best refer them to SpecSavers, Pete – they must be blind.

Still looks like a white feather (ie universal symbol of cowardice) to me!!

None of the current uses of the silver fern seem to have any problem with it being mistaken for a white feather.

Talking about resemblances, our current flag looks very much like an Australian flag, and always have to look closely to tell them apart, and I know many people can’t tell the difference easily if at all.

Hi there RRM. With reference to your never having heard before the above objection to using a white feather/fernleaf on a future NZ flag, all I can say is that people just haven’t bothered to post.

That doesn’t detract from the fact that using anything that resembles a white feather on our flag is a bad idea.

I obviously can’t speak for the blogosphere and bloggers as a whole, but certainly when this old chestnut – (“Gee, why not getta new flag!!) – has come up in social conversation, I for one have always pointed out the folly of adopting a universally recognised tsymbol of cowardice as part of our national flag.

On that, I always have a quiet smile to myself when the ABs run out proudly bearing this ambiguous symbol on their chests.

Andrew Hore is a dirty fckn animal, not the first they’ve had playing for them. It’s a pity none of those seals he bashed/shot (?) didn’t give as good as it got. But he’s hardly an argument for or against the flag on his own either.

The ‘Silver Fern” looks like a feather – a white feather.

For those who may not know it, the white feather is a universally recognised mark of cowardice.

During WW1 white feathers would be sent anonymously to men who were evidently reluctant to volunteer for military service.

The Silver Fern will always look like a white feather. To adopt it as a formal, official New Zealand emblem is a bad idea.