New Zealand In Flap Over Plans For New Flag

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 10-1-2007 | Nic Fleming

[george76]

[george76]

http://flagspot.net/flags/nz!.html

[Little Bill]

I agree, Mr Clark wants to denigrate all of those that served under the Union Jack and probably won more VC’s per capita, plus a few bars, than any.

[Old Seadog]

The New Zealand and the Australian flag are identical except for the color of their stars.

[Fred Nerks]

looks like a tea-towel...that’s aussie for a cloth one dries plates, knives and forks with...

[InABunkerUnderSF]

Actually the Ausie flag is more astronomically correct.

And I’ve always thought it appropriate that the Kiwi flag stars are red.

[Little Bill]

Damn, UKian, that is good. As an ex UKian of 381 years distance I think we did pretty good. We introduced the idea of Representative government and the rule of law, we are not slaves, for now. I kinda like to think that we and the limies to a certain extent had a positive effect on the world stage.

[BillyBoy]

>> Mr Clark wants to denigrate all of those that served under the Union Jack <<

1775

1777

General Washington wants to denigrate all Americans of those that served under the Union Jack! Bastards! God save good King George III!

[george76]

The old flag looks good to us, but what do we yanks know ?

[blam]

"looks like a tea-towel...that’s aussie for a cloth one dries plates, knives and forks with..."

Australian Tea Towels

[SAJ]

Too good, Nana.

Does my heart good when someone just recounts simple facts.

I shouldn't ordinarily think that doing so would be that difficult, but I suppose I continually underestimate the historical revisionist morons.

Well said, and FReegards!

[SAJ]

What nonsense. Austrailia’s flag has more stars to start.

[Little Bill]

Last time any of my ancestors did the Union Jack was the Frog and Indian war. Because of some poofs and Nancy boys in the Parlement who tried to bugger us with Taxes with out consent, we said shagg off.

Other than that we might still have a Union Jack in the corner.

[naturalman1975]

We've had the same movement in Australia. The following poem, author unknown, sums up for me the arguments against a change. Not all is applicable to New Zealand, as it is to Australia, but a lot of it is.

Our flag bears the stars that shine at night
In our southern sky of blue
And there's a little old flag in the corner
That is part of our heritage too,
It's the English, the Scots and the Irish
Who were sent to the end of the earth
The rogues and the schemers, the doers and dreamers
Who gave modern Australia birth.

And you who are shouting to change it
You don't seem to understand
It's the flag of our laws and language
Not the flag of some far away land
Though, there's plenty who'll tell if you ask them
How when Europe was plunged into night
How that little old flag in the corner
Was a symbol of freedom and light.

It doesn't mean we owe our allegiance
To some forgotten imperial dream
We've got the stars to show where we're going
And the old flag to show where we've been

It's only an old piece of bunting
It's only an old coloured rag
But there's thousands who died for its honour
And fell in defence of our flag.

[Fred Nerks]

it's no wonder we don't always see things the same way...

how we remain upright I don't know...

[blam]

LOL.

[Steve Van Doorn]

That is funny!

[naturalman1975]

The New Zealand and the Australian flag are identical except for the color of their stars.

Not quite.

The Australian rendition of the constellation Crux (the Southern Cross) is more accurate, and includes five stars instead of the four shown on the New Zealand flag. (Epsilon Crucis is omitted from the New Zealand flag).

Australia's flag also contains the Commonwealth Star under the Union Flag, to symbolise the union of the Australian colonies into a single nation in 1901. New Zealand, incidentally, could have chosen to be part of that Federation, and the Australian Constitution includes language to reflect that.

They are similar flags, and that is partly a reflection of the fact that both the Australian, and New Zealand flag (as well as that of the Colony, later State, of Victoria - the first Victorian flag was almost identical to the current Australian flag) were based on an earlier design for the Anti-Transportation League Flag used througout the Australasian colonies in the early to mid 19th century).

[Fred Nerks]

the new one looks a bit small, hehe

[george76]

Is this their choice ?

http://www.hbtv.co.nz/flagnz/images/indexflag.jpg