Labour MP Charles Chauvel wants the future of New Zealand's
flag to be in the hands of the public, and he hopes a
member's bill he has drafted will help achieve that.
The Bill, which is in a ballot with others and will be
debated by Parliament when it is drawn, would require the
Prime Minister to create a commission, which would spend 18
months seeking public input into the issue of adopting a new
flag.
The commission would hold a nationwide competition for new
flag designs, ranking the results by how they best reflected
New Zealand's national identity, aspirations, culture and
heritage.
A referendum would then be held, giving voters the
opportunity to vote for one of the three new designs, or to
retain the current flag.
Mr Chauvel said it was timely to have a debate about New
Zealand's flag.
"That debate should be properly resourced, involve widespread
consultation, and be respectful," Mr Chauvel said.
"Only a publicly funded and run process can hope to ensure
these three outcomes."
However, Mr Chauvel may have his work cut out for him as
Prime Minister John Key has said changing New Zealand's flag
is not on the Government's agenda and the Bill would require
Government support to get past its first reading.
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