Silver Fern Flag
  • Store
  • Licence
    • Apply
  • Press
  • Flag
  • Contact

PRESS

MEDIA ARTICLES
Store

LABOUR LEADER NORMAN KIRK WAS THE FIRST POLITICIAN TO PUBLICLY SPEAK ABOUT a new FLAG IN 1962 

27/2/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
​NZ FLAG FACT NUMBER 84 

In August 1962 MP for Lyttelton and future New Zealand Prime Minister Norman Kirk suggested erasing the Southern Cross from the national flag and replacing it with the kiwi because the flag looked so similar to Australia’s. The then Prime Minister Keith Holyoake retorted: ‘We could adopt a slogan—call us kiwis.

New Zealand economist and author Brian Easton later write of Kirk: ‘At the heart of his nation building was national identity.’

Kirk was not to be the only Labour politician and party member to suggest flag change. When Labour became the government in 1972, members of the party continued to advocate for changing the flag. They introduced a remit proposing that the flag be altered, only to have it defeated when it came to the vote at the party’s 1973 conference.

The party made the same attempt at its 1989 annual conference. This time the remit was defeated by 144 votes to 136. The previous year, Labour Minister for Foreign Affairs Russell Marshall had called for the flag to be changed. Four years on, the former Labour MP who become the leader of Mana Motuhake, Matiu Rata, claimed that the flag needed to change in order to ‘re-establish our national identity’. Helen Clark, Labour Prime Minister from 1999 to 2008, also supported changing the flag. She suggested removing the Union Jack.
​
In 2010 Labour MP Charles Chauvel promoted a Private Members Bill that called for a review of the New Zealand flag (see fact 90). Labour also promoted change as part of their 2014 manifesto, with MP Trevor Mallard releasing the Internal Affairs policy on the matter: 
​
"The time has come for a change and it is right for the issue to be put to the public. We would however support the ability of the RSA and similar organisations to continue to fly the current flag if they so wish. New Zealand changed its national anthem from ‘God Save the Queen’ on a gradual, optional basis and that process worked."

From New Zealand Flag Facts by historian Malcolm Mulholland. Read more at:  
http://www.silverfernflag.org/press/new-zealand-flag-facts-book
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    MEDIA


    Buy Flag

    RSS Feed

    Archives

    December 2022
    December 2021
    August 2021
    December 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    March 2020
    December 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    September 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    July 2014
    February 2014
    August 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    April 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011

    Pre 2012 Articles

    Categories

    All
    All Whites
    ANZAC
    Architectural Designer
    Austin Woods
    Australian
    BBC
    Bill English
    Boer War
    Christchurch United FC
    Czech Republic
    David Shearer
    Dawn French
    Fairfax
    Flag Of Canada
    Flag Of Jamaica
    Flag Referendum 2
    Gary Brown
    Green Party MP
    John Key
    Kip Colvey
    Kyle Lockwood
    Labour
    Licensing
    Lifewear
    London
    Lt Col Chris Mullane
    Malcolm Mulholland
    Maori
    New Zealand Army
    New Zealand Flag
    New Zealand Flag Facts
    N Z Elite Triathlon Team
    N Z Flag
    NZ Flag Consideration Project
    NZ Flag Poll Vote!
    NZ Flag Poll - Vote!
    NZ Listener
    One News
    Otago Daily Times
    Preferred Alternative New Zealand Flag
    Professor Andrew Russell
    Referendum
    Republic Of New Zealand
    RSA
    Scottish Indepandence
    Silver Fern
    Silver Fern Flag
    Sir Edmund Hillary
    Southern Cross
    UK
    U K
    Union Flag
    Union Jack
    Victoria & Albert
    Walk Of Fame
    WW1
    WW2

​©2000-2024 Kyle Lockwood
Director, Architecture Ltd ​T/A Silver Fern Flag, incorporated in Wellington in 2006. We are not​​ in any way affiliated with the 
NZ Government. 
  • Store
  • Licence
    • Apply
  • Press
  • Flag
  • Contact