Keeping Their Flag

From the BBC:

"New Zealand votes to keep flag in referendum"

 

 

 

New Zealanders have voted to keep their existing flag after a national referendum, preliminary results show. The referendum asked whether the flag which includes the Union Jack should be replaced by a design called Silver Fern, which won an earlier ballot. The results show 56.6% voted for no change, while 43.1% opted for the new design. Just over 2.1m votes were cast.  PM John Key had advocated the new flag but called on New Zealanders to "embrace" the people's decision.  A final result taking into account late ballots will be announced next Wednesday  Mr Key said he was disappointed but would support the current flag. Despite criticism of the cost of the vote and the process, he argued that it had at least generated discussion.  "You can't shy away from a debate or a discussion about nationhood," he told reporters. The existing design features the British Union Jack, a legacy of New Zealand's days as a British colony and the reason many wanted to change it. One of the most vocal groups opposing the flag change was the military veteran group the Returned and Services Association. It called Thursday's result "an inspiring, strong show of democracy in action". The lobby group Change the NZ Flag told the BBC that it would continue to push for a new flag.  The exercise has been mired in controversy from the start.  Many objected to the 12-member panel overseeing the process not including a designer, and the longlist whittled down from thousands of entries was said to lack imagination. Many also described the process as unnecessarily expensive, with the bulk of the NZ$26m ($17m) cost going towards conducting postal voting.

^ While this referendum was very expansive at least it is over and now New Zealand can move on to other things. I didn't like any of the choices for a flag, but then again I'm not from New Zealand. ^


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-35888474