Updating our flag is a task which shouldn't be taken lightly.

We believe that flag change should be done by referendum, and not forced upon us by a government. New Zealanders should vote on whether we retain the existing flag, or choose a new flag. Voting could be through a citizens initiated referendum, or one introduced 
by a Member of Parliament.
 
There should be seven or eight well known designs put forward in the referendum for voting, here are some well known  designs which we believe could be put forward;

Which flag says Canada to you? The 1965 flag, right? Prior to 1965 the flag on the top was the flag of Canada.

Although the idea of a new design had been discussed for decades in the 1900s, it was in the 1960s that the debate intensified and became a subject of considerable controversy, After much debate new flag was officially proclaimed in 1965. The Canadian people were not given the chance to vote on the new design.

Despite the preceding acrimony, the new flag was quickly embraced by the Canadian public, and internationally the flag quickly became a welcome marker of Canadians around the world. The pre-1965 flag still remains an official flag in Canada, and is sometimes flown today.

New Zealand can take the lead from countries like Canada and Jamaica, but we can improve on it, we believe that flag change should not be forced on the country by a government, like in the Canadian example.  Kiwis should have the right to vote, to either, retain the existing ensign, or vote for a new national flag. It should be noted here that New Zealanders have never had the chance to vote for our present flag, as it was forced upon us by the British government.

We can learn from Canada too, in that once an new official flag is adopted, we can retain the existing ensign as an official flag, as some will choose to fly it. It will be like how God Save the Queen is still an official anthem of New Zealand, but today most Kiwis sing and recognise God Defend New Zealand as our anthem.

What do you think?  Vote above, and add your comments below!

© 2012 silverfernflag.org

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Christchurch, Sydney, London, Los Angeles, Pukekohe...  the Silver Fern Flag represents New Zealand around the world, here's a world map showing cities and locations where, over the past decade, online customers have bought our Silver Fern Flag products.  It's also good indicator of where New Zealander's abroad tend to live, although some buyers aren't Kiwi, they just happen to love New Zealand so much they fly our flag anyway!

Typically the Silver Fern Flag is bought in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom, which isn't too suprizing, but perhaps the most unusual places it has been sent to are Hradec Králové, a township outside Prague in the Czech Republic, and Willemstad, Curacao, a small Dutch Carribean island off the coast of Venezuela, The Silver Fern Flag is now represented on every continent except Antartica, but perhaps some cool Kiwis at Scott Base can change that for us!?   Click here to see the full map: 

People have asked 'How do I fold the flag properly?' which is a really good question! a Google search gives us a lot of results on folding the USA Flag, but few on how to fold a New Zealand Flag. Check out our slideshow and download our flag care .pdf here this gives you information about the significance of the Silver Fern Flag and the proper method of folding a flag, The method is actually useful for most Commonwealth of Nations countries, including folding the flags of New Zealand, Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom.