Are You Kiwi?

3/2/2015

We have had a few emails of late asking whether the designer of the Silver Fern Flag is a New Zealander, as people have been receiving their flag orders from an overseas address.

Rest assured I am most definitely a New Zealander, born, and raised in Wellington, my ancestors have resided in Aotearoa for countless generations - some of my European and Māori ancestors were in NZ prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi.

I moved overseas in 2009 for work opportunities.

As a frequent traveller, I am also spokesman for an organisation called 'Bring Back 10-Year NZ Passports' we have successfully campaigned the government for the return of 10-year passports to all New Zealanders over the age of 16. 10-year passports will be reintroduced to New Zealanders on 31 December 2015.

No matter where my travels take me I'll always be a proud Kiwi!

Kyle Lockwood

silverfernflag.org

2 Comments

Robert Huisman link

15/12/2015 07:39:21 pm

To Kyle Lockwood:

At the end of the last Commonwealth Games I posted your red white and blue flag on my Facebook page with the comment, "I hope we have a new flag by the next Commonwealth Games". This was before the flag debate had even started.

But I would characterise the blue, white and black version of your flag as dull and boring. It saddens me to say but if this comes up against the current flag I'll vote for the current one. I like the red white and blue version; though the one with green in the corner that was floating around a couple years ago (but was not an option now) would have been my first preference. When I was 15 years old I did a speech at high school suggesting NZ should change its flag. I believed it then, and I believe it now but THIS BLACK & BLUE FLAG IS NOT THE ONE. It's too dark and gives the impression of a sad and gloomy place, which is not right for a happy and confident New Zealand.

I notice that your red white and blue flag exceeded this dull version in the first preferences (by more than 20,500 votes). This tells me that the RW&Blue version would stand a better chance in the second vote. My guess is the one with black will lose against the current flag because the conservative majority will vote against it but they may well vote for the red white and blue version (you may even get the RSA tick of approval for the RW&Blue flag). It seems to me like you may have inadvertently shot yourself in the foot by including the version with black (thereby splitting your vote) . What a wasted opportunity, your best bet would be to withdraw the blue, white and black version. That would be your only way to could get a flag change now, the alternative would be to try again in 20 or 30 years time. Do you really want to wait that long?

(I have posted this in 3 places because I am so disappointed that we had an opportunity to change something that I knew as a child needed changing but we let it slip away. I have now resigned myself to the fact that the NZ flag will not change in my lifetime. Very sad.)

Stephen Clark

30/3/2016 05:07:04 pm

Not necessary to publish this. ..just an observation.

It appears a significant portion of the population (people who would normally support the Labor party) voted against the new flag after supporting it in the first referendum. Their reason?? ...and I quote "JOHN KEY WAS PUBLICLY SUPPORTING IT AND I HATE HIM".
This doesn't say much for the average IQ of these individuals (indeed I'm left wondering if some people shouldn't be IQ tested before being granted the privilege to vote!
DO NOT GIVE UP.
Cheers
Steve

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