NZ Flag Change Debate

1. Having just gone through a really huge referendum in New Zealand, we sat back and had a little bit of a reflection on what went wrong, and why we haven't got a new flag today.
   
   To put our cards on the table, we are pro change. As much as we love everything about New Zealand, we have never felt like the flag represents NZ accurately. The Union Jack is symbolic of the United Kingdom and the colours of the current flag were inherited from that. NZ has changed, and we have always thought the flag should reflect that change.
   
   That said...the flag change had to be about democracy, so our personal opinion is no more relevant than anyone else. This was a massive opportunity for the country and the process itself may have ruined the end result. So...this is how we would have done it.Spend less. The price tag killed the end result. Parts of the population voted against change purely because they thought it was a frivolous expenditure. Informal polling through free platforms like Facebook could have at least got momentum started. "Should we change?" through an informal, online poll - would have got some sort of nationwide support from day one.
2. Choose a more influential panel. This is the big one. None of us knew who the panel were. It didn't have a flag specialist, it didn't have a design specialist. It felt like a hand picked mates club with no real reason to be in charge. The panel should have included high profile kiwis from various flag relevant parts of society - the RSA, sport, arts, the Maori community and the business world. It should have included flag & design experts and it should have used these high profile individuals talking about the process to engage the public. 
3. The flag entry process shouldn't have shown the world all the entries. We are all for democracy, but sometimes the public doesn't know what they like/want. The panel should have only put 5 - 10 flag designs (which were finalised by a design and flag specialist) out to the public. The final Kyle Lockwood design is a perfect example...it had elements which were great, but it could have improved with tweaking - a different shade of blue for example would have made that option so much more visually appealing.
4. The silver fern on black should have been one of the final four options. It is the one flag that you see flown around the world representing New Zealand alongside the current flag. Kiwi travellers wrap themselves in it, sports fans wave it and it's already synonymous with New Zealand. Fallen soldiers graves are marked with it, business in New Zealand trades under it and our Tourism identifies itself with a silver fern. People may disagree that it should be the flag, but it should have been one of the final change options we voted on.

Once all of the above has happened, then you'll be left with a flag that is far more likely to be accepted for change. A panel of diverse individuals and cross section of NZ society will have chosen the final options, the public won't be rebelling because of a terribly expensive process...and the flag, importantly, will have been professionally designed. These are the keys to success.

So, we feel a massive opportunity has been missed, and we put it completely down to a process that took democracy too far. How do you feel about it all?

For the record - if the black and white sporting silver fern is completely off the cards, we would have gone for the option at the top of this page. It looks good, it removes the UK flag and replaces it with our most prominent symbol, it keeps the red that is associated with Maori, the blue of our ocean and heritage (darker though - closer to our National colour of black), and the Southern Cross of our old flag. But you know....why on earth would we go for something inclusive, good looking and simple?