Read a summary and download our full report on the flag referendums. Ballots are initially distributed based on each electors first preference. Acknowledge maori heritage speaking of similarities to australian flag, the left one is aussie and the one on the right is nz. Ballot on whether to replace colonialera flag will extend over the next three weeks, with results expected on march 24.
Dear new zealand, please reconsider these 9 rejected flag. Two new zealand flag referendums were held by the new zealand government in. Unlike in australia, the flag debate in new zealand is occurring independently of debate about becoming a republic. Vote opens on new zealand flag referendum sbs news.
New zealand flag referendum gets under way world news the. Some people are guessing the outcome but theres been no polls since the alternative flag option was chosen by last decembers referendum so its difficult to judge what the outcome could be. In 2014 prime minister john key announced a twostage referendum process to determine whether new zealanders wanted a new national flag. Enrol online now and get ready to have your say in new zealands elections and referendums. Kyle lockwoods blue and black silver fern flag has the most.
The new zealand flag was eventually announced as the winner with a healthy 45. B this article has been rated as bclass on the projects quality scale. What will the new zealand flag referendum vote mean for john key. New zealand is holding a referendum on whether their flag should be replaced. The people of new zealand have voted not to change the countrys. Even one of the members of the new zealand flag panel was given a lanyard with his name and an australian flag, at a flag conference. New zealand has a history of debate about whether the national flag should be changed. So my plea to all new zealand voters whichever way you choose to vote in the referendum, vote for positive reasons.
Why did new zealanders vote to keep the current flag. Opinion by carolyn skelton i will be voting to retain our british colonialnz flag, for now, because the whole process related to marchs referendum is fatally flawed. General elections decide who represents us in government. You can talk about the issues you even have your own show for that. Nov 19, 2015 new zealand flag referendum gets under way. Despite criticism of the cost of the vote and the process, he argued that it had at least generated discussion. When key first raised the idea of a flag vote in march, he said he favoured changing the design to a silver fern set against a black background, an image thats popular among new zealands sports. Regardless of whether you will vote in the referendum, which would you like to be the new zealand flag. New zealand is voting on a new flag and the 4 designs have.
Its compulsory to be enrolled if you qualify but voting is optional. You must reproduce the flag in its true form and colours. It must be glaringly obvious that you cant have a silver fern that is black, white and blue. The first new zealand flag referendum was decided using instant runoff voting, which wikipedia can explain better than me. Flag referenda flags of new zealand nzhistory, new. Two new zealand flag referendums were held by the new zealand government in novemberdecember 2015 and march 2016 and resulted in the retention of the current flag of new zealand. Why city flags may be the worstdesigned thing youve never noticed. The nz herald reports that 53% of voters are against changing the flag. Letters or designs shouldnt be added to the flag, unless they appear in a different dimension and are clearly separate from the flags. Any person or organisation may use the new zealand flag in advertising. Nz flag options fly ahead of vote to ditch union jack abc news. This is not to say the lockwood is necessarily recognisable as new zealands flag and even less so as aotearoanew zealands, which our nation is destined to become.
New zealand debates replacing union jack flag, but with what. I do think it is time we put a symbol on the flagpole that speaks more of the country we are. It is a preferential voting system in which voters rank the candidates in order of preference. You may well have heard about the laser kiwi design, or possibly. The flag remains dominated by the union jack in a way that we ourselves are no. In the second and final referendum next month, voters will choose.
Furthermore, any change to rid ourselves of british imperial symbols needs to be part of a far deeper restructuring. New zealand will hold a binding referendum in 2016 on changing the national flag, with prime minister john key hoping to drop the current design featuring britains union jack in favour of a. And polls may not give us an accurate idea of what the. Mar 02, 2016 the final stage in new zealands bid to change its flag has begun, with voters asked to choose between the current design and a silver fern against blue and black. You can only vote if your enrolment details are up to date. If you want to have a say in a flag, surely your belief is that you want to be. The second flag referendum will be held in march this year. Page 2 folding and storing the flag pdf can i use the new zealand flag on my website or in advertising. Voting begins in final new zealand flag referendum cnn. New zealand is voting on a new flag and the 4 designs.
Answers to common questions ministry for culture and heritage. Common criticisms of the current design of the new zealand flag are its similarity to the australian flag and the inappropriateness of retaining the union jack in the design. New zealand prime minister john key, a big proponent of changing. Lessons from new zealands disappointing and now complete flag referendum. Then, in march 2014, key announced that a public vote on the flag would. Final four designs chosen before national vote the final four designs for a new new zealand flag, silver fern black and white, silver fern red, white and blue, koru. It will, i suspect, depend on how right the polls are and how close the vote in nz is, and how many overseas people vote. New zealanders will soon get to vote on whether to replace a flag that harks back to the countrys colonial past with one that some, including the prime minister, suggest would better suit its. New zealand first leader winston peters cast a protest vote by writing. Answers to common questions ministry for culture and.
New zealand first says only citizens should be able to vote in the flag referendum. New zealanders to vote on flag change in 2016 telegraph. Keep the current flag change to the ferncross flag dont vote eligible voters will choose between the current new zealand flag and the alternative design that. Enrol to vote in new zealands elections and referendums. New zealand flag options fly ahead of vote to ditch union. Mar 02, 2016 voting begins in final new zealand flag referendum.
There is no consensus among proponents of changing the flag as to which design should replace the flag. The united tribes later made the declaration of independence of new zealand at waitangi in 1835. But at the end of the day its your vote to use how you choose. Any new zealand citizen and permanent resident who is 18 or over and whose name is on either the maori or general electoral roll before election day can vote in a general election.
Oct 29, 2014 new zealand will hold a binding referendum in 2016 on changing the national flag, with prime minister john key hoping to drop the current design featuring britains union jack in favour of a. Mar 24, 2016 new zealand flag vote as it happened ten months and tens of million dollars later, the existing flag has won an historic referendum with more than 56% of the vote updated. There are a lot that qualify as a citizen you have to have visited nz in the last 3 years, so there may be a lot more than i originally thought that qualify to vote. I bet if the opinion polls were closer or slanted the other way you would certainly vote lest the wrong flag win. For several decades, alternative designs have been proposed, with varying degrees of support.
Take a look back at our live coverage as new zealand voted to keep its existing flag. The alternative silver fern flag l next to the current flag of new zealand r. Whichever flag wins will go up against the current flag in a second vote in march to decide if new zealand gets a new flag. They invited the general public to submit designs, and got about 11 thousand submissions, so there were probably some in there that would have been popular. This is how new zealand citizens choose who represents them in parliament. What led to new zealand considering changing the flag. What will the new zealand flag referendum vote mean for. Why im not voting in the flag referendum the daily blog.
As voting papers are dispatched for the final flag referendum, views on whether to. Whether you want to keep the current flag, vote for red peak, a fern or the koru, this bill will allow all views to be heard. Flag consideration project department of the prime minister and. The final stage in new zealands bid to change its flag has begun, with voters asked to choose between the current design and a silver fern against blue and black. Those who voted in the first referendum in november 2015 selected a black, white and blue design featuring a silver fern and the stars of the southern cross from among five shortlisted options for a new flag.
Hey, and guess what, this time it is not about the all blacks rugby team or the lord of the rings movies. You can say a lot of bad things about the alternative flag, but probably the worst is that it makes the current flag look good, said commentator finlay macdonald on the radio new zealand. Check the designs for the new nz flag and help kiwis make up their minds. I think the biggest reason was the designs that were offered.
New zealand flag vote as it happened ten months and tens of million dollars later, the existing flag has won an historic referendum with more than 56% of the vote updated. Below are the silver fern flag and the current nz flag, the flags new zealand will choose between in the final binding referendum in march 2016. Despite criticism of the cost of the vote and the process, he argued that it had at. What will the new zealand flag referendum vote mean for john. The first flag of new zealand was adopted 9 or 20 march 1834 by a vote made by the united tribes of new zealand, a meeting of maori chiefs convened at waitangi by british resident james busby.
New zealand starts voting in flag referendum telegraph. New zealand begins final vote on flag change news al. The missing vote in new zealands flag referendum stuff. If were going to change, lets have something exciting we can believe in. One of he designs kept the red and darker blue of the current new zealand flag, and that one seemed a lot nicer the black was gone, replaced with. Ten months and tens of million dollars later, the existing flag has won an historic referendum with more than 56% of the vote. New zealand is about to hold an unusual referendum. New zealand has made it to the news all over the world. Out of more than 0 designs submitted, new zealanders will vote on five, then. Only citizens should vote on flag change nz first rnz news. Keep the current flag change to the ferncross flag dont vote eligible voters will choose between the current new zealand flag and the alternative design that was selected by voters in the. Lessons from new zealands disappointing and now complete. Calls for a new flag nzhistory, new zealand history online. If you would like to participate, you can visit the project page, where you can join the project and see a list of open tasks.
New zealands flag is very similar to australias flag, and features a union jack as a canton, despite the fact that it has been a fully. Mar 02, 2016 you can say a lot of bad things about the alternative flag, but probably the worst is that it makes the current flag look good, said commentator finlay macdonald on the radio new zealand. The idea of replacing new zealands flag has percolated for decades. We needed a far more indepth discussion about the meaning and relevance of our current flag. New zealand flag referendums act 2015 no 66 as at 31 march. Voting on new zealands new flag design begins on friday and although the final five options are flying high at test sites across the country, veterans are.
A brief explanation of the new zealand flag referendum. To be fair though, most flags of the world do not immediately say i am the flag of bahamas, bahrain, benin, bhutan or botswana. Find out if you re eligible to enrol and vote in new zealands elections. May 26, 2016 i think the biggest reason was the designs that were offered. Sep 01, 2015 whichever flag wins will go up against the current flag in a second vote in march to decide if new zealand gets a new flag. The government of new zealand announced 40 possible designs for a new national flag on monday, as the country prepares to vote in a referendum that could result in the retirement of. Voting begins in final new zealand flag referendum. You can t vote in nz elections unless you re on the electoral roll. Nearly 600 entries in the flag competition were narrowed down to seven finalists, including the current new zealand flag and the united tribes flag. New zealand flag referendum gets under way world news. The new zealand flag referendums act 2015 received royal assent on 14 august. Nov 17, 2015 voting on new zealands new flag design begins on friday and although the final five options are flying high at test sites across the country, veterans are resisting change saying theres a lot of.
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