Shall we flag it?

I flicked on the television early this morning and was caught in front of the screen by an interview Peter Williams was having with John Walker.  That’s the Great John Walker, gold medalist for the 1500 metres  and first New Zealander to break the 3 minute 50 second barrier.

I enjoyed the interview, always do when one of the great runners of that generation is interviewed, due to the fact it was in my era of excitement in watching the races and then beginning to run myself. 

During the interview there were shots of Walker winning his gold medal at the Montreal Olympic Games, shots which were televised around the world at the time;  and more shots of his breaking the 3 minute 50 barrier in Sweden, also televised worldwide. 
This is the most famous photograph of that moment.

After this particular news segment a separate news clip was of some fine bodied New Zealand men performing the haka at a World War One grave site in Turkey.  The camera spanned a few of the graves and I noted something that had me reflect on the shots of Walker crossing the finish line for all the world to see.

Can you see what I am referring to?

Tony used to often say, “Everyone has a snozzle.” I always thought the word ‘snozzle’ was a Cockney word for ‘nose’.  It is, but when he quoted it he referred to a person having a ‘hang up’.  Or obsession.  Or phobia.  Or botheration.

Well, of late I have read, heard and overheard so many ‘snozzles’ among our general populace.  And the most discussed and popular snozzle at the moment is the jolly New Zealand flag debate.

It has been amusing.  Entertaining.  Intriguing.  Funny.  Often droll.  And often preposterous.

It is fair to say that so many of any general population loathe change.  It is a botheration for them. The flag debate has certainly proven to be yet another challenge for some to contemplate accepting a change on our national ensign.

Bemusement has come to me by reading some of the many Facebook posting friends have put up – friends on both sides of the change argument.  Some firmly, even fiercely anti any change to the present flag, others just as dogged to have change.

Me?  I do have a view but never considered the flag change a big enough issue to become whelmed up with emotion about.  I can think of so many more issues to become passionate about that surround us near and far.

Therefore I have thoroughly enjoyed sitting on the fence with this issue and have watch the ensuing fuss whilst at the same time acknowledging that there are times when accepting change is an inevitability in life.  Some people loathe any change.  But, change happens.  Thankfully, otherwise we would never have been inspired to develop the invention of the wheel.  Nor would we have ever had sliced bread. 

The flag debate certainly is a debate of change.

One can fight change, or one can embrace change, or one can accept change irrespective of how feistily you have fought against it.

What is more relevant is what the change is that you become emotional, passionate and feisty about.

So my fence sitting on this issue has given me much amusement and entertainment by watching it being played out over the past couple of years.    

Now, back to my earlier reference to John Walker and the Gallipoli graves.  

What caused me to stop and pause and ponder on the relationship these two televised news articles had in common - these two major historical events in our country’s past - was the New Zealand flag.  

The first news article was about one of our greatest athletes and the other article was of the first great world war where we lost over 18,000 New Zealand soldiers.  The first historical news article dates back to 1977, the other back to 1914 to 1918.  Both these historic articles have been pictorially represented and linked by, not the present national flag, not the Southern Cross, not the Union Jack, but by the silver fern.  There it is, for all to have seen since 1914.

To me it stated much but I realise it would mean sweet all to many of those who are vehemently opposed to any flag change. 

It reminded me of Tony’s and my Europe travels in 2010 when we went to follow the Tour de France, in France.  We had packed away in our little bags a good sized New Zealand flag which we had purposely purchased at the New Zealand shop adjacent to the New Zealand Embassy in Central London.  We were going to France to watch the tour and in among the many teams were three Kiwi cyclists so we wanted to make sure everyone around us knew that we were Kiwis, there to support and cheer along our fellow countrymen.

Each day we carried the flag.  Each day we would then spread it across the hills and fields in the hope that the helicopters above who were sending televised coverage all around the world would show the flag well displayed.  Each day some French, or German, or Belgium family would nod at us and explain to their children that we were from Australia.  Whenever we could we would try to correct them and endeavour to explain we were not Australian but we were New Zealanders; New Zealand being a different country to Australia.  Each time we realised the language barrier meant we were not understood so though we were shaking our heads and pointing to the flag and saying “New Zealand,” it meant nothing to these many families and they wandered off in the knowledge that those Australian people they had just met were quite odd.

During that same holiday trip I also had taped to my backpack a lovely embroidered tiki, given to me by a dear friend for the purpose of being seen by fellow travellers, particularly fellow Kiwi travelers, who would then acknowledge us as Kiwis.  Not once in ten months did anyone pick this up – and this was during times when we were surrounded by touring New Zealanders.  So the tiki did not strike any note with anyone.

After the third day of our displaying our country’s flag and receiving no recognition by the tens of thousands who also travelled the course of le Tour with us, we packed away the flag, where it remained and is now a torn piece of shredded flag that has adorned our old clothes line in the back yard for the past five years.

On our last day of travelling with le Tour, Tony put on an Ironman t shirt that had the silver fern somewhere amidst the many Ironman logos.  We were in a tiny village in France, sitting having an espresso on a rock wall by the roadside when a giant tour bus came slowly driving past, maneuvering through the narrow village streets.  As the bus came alongside us two sitting on the wall, the driver stopped adjacent, pulled back his sliding window, stuck his head out of the window, gave us the broadest smile we had seen all day and called out in some funny European accent, “Kiwi!  Kiwi! All black!” Then to us two stunned ones thumped his chest and then pointed to Tony’s chest where there was the small 6cm silver fern embroidered. 

The driver then turned around to his audience in the bus and yelled to them in French, or German, or Italian, or whatever …  whilst pointing to Tony, “All black.  Kiwi.  All black!”  All windows on the bus had faces pushed up hard against the panes, peering at Tony, the Kiwi, the all black, and they all waved and cheered at that Kiwi sitting on the wall.  One presumes they all believed their trusty bus driver and thought that Tony must have been an All Black. 

We were left highly amused as the driver then proceeded onward in his maneuvering his bus through the village streets, with back seat passengers turning to wave at us and they disappeared into the distance.

A small, two inch silver fern.  We had been carrying a one and a half metre by three metre flag all throughout France and no one knew it was from New Zealand.  But this whole bus knew by the two inch silver fern that we were Kiwis.

I was at a dinner party earlier this year when a fellow diner, who loves ruffling feathers, tried to engage all the dinner party guests in some heated debate about the “debacle John Key is making over changing the flag.”  I stayed smut for the initial part, taking a general interest in who sat on which side of the debate on the issue and realised that the discussion had changed tact from the flag to the politics and policies of the present government in being instrumental in making such a major and critical change in our history.  Their words, not mine.  As their discussion was about to finish and turn to something even more pressing, like pony tail pulling, I thought some balance should be put into the debate.

I reminded my audience that if they reflect back to our previous government who held onto governing from 1999 to 2008, that their leader, Helen Clark, was a strong proponent of having New Zealand become a republic.  There was dead silence.  Did my audience, I asked, think that should the Labour party have made us a republic in that period, that our flag would remain the same?  The flag with the Union Jack?

I continued, if you remember, Helen Clark was quoted as saying that our flag at that time “… exclusively acknowledges our British heritage and totally ignores our Maori heritage.”   Remember that Helen Clark has stated many times that it is “… inevitable that New Zealand becomes a republic and that would reflect the reality that New Zealand is a totally sovereign independent 21^st century nation 12,000 miles from the United Kingdom.” Does this sound like someone who would retain the Union Jack in our ‘totally independent nation’?

Remember, this is also the governing party that abolished the Privy Council option for New Zealanders.  And the same governing party abolished knighthood and damehoods as well as abolishing the title of ‘Queen’s Council’.

I kinda took the steam out of their bubbling indignation of the ‘John Key government wanting to mess with our flag history’. 

I am neither right, nor left, nor centre-left, nor centre-right.  I just remembered history.  It was only 7 years ago.  Funny how people forget, for convenience.

BTW, I’m not a communist either.

But I like facts.

I did not mention it at the time, as I felt I’d popped one too many festering bubbles, but I also remember the Right Honorable Matiu Rata, MP for Labour, Maori MP, also called for a flag change.  This goes back to 1992.  Due to his view on this a member’s bill was introduced for a government committee to be formed to take us into a referendum about a new flag.

Funny that.  This government has done the same.

So, seems the present Labour opposition has become miffed and conveniently forgotten their own history when it comes to the flag debate and their peels and calls some months ago about it being a National Party policy they were against.  Notice now how they have come to accede to the concept.  Seems National took their policy and made it their own and are now getting flak from the very members of the political party that actually initiated flag change.

I hear the lovely representatives from the many RSAs within the country making their own representations against flag change.  I hear them saying so often how our men fought under the flag, died under the flag and defended us from the world’s evils under the flag.

Did they?  I have read so many history books on the two major world wars.  Heart breaking books.  Stories of men who died, men who returned.  Letters from men to their wives and families.  I have stopped reading those books.  They are too heart breaking to read.  But I cannot recall one book quoting one soldier who says he was fighting for the flag.  I can recall many quotes of the pride of fighting alongside fellow Kiwi soldiers.  Pride of the fighting forces among our Maori Battalion. 

Yes, the New Zealand flag was the same as we have now, but do you really think that Uncle Ted who went to fight in the Second World War went to fight for the flag?  No, he went to ‘do his bit’, for ‘God, for King and for country’.  Not the flag.

I have photos of Maori Battalion medals.  Below.  What is it that stands out so strongly in the middle of these medals?  The one with the silver fern.

If only we could bring back to life all the soldiers we lost to those wars and ask them what symbol most represented what they fought for.

Quite interesting how every overseas grave of our soldiers has the silver fern on it.  Not the Union Jack, or koru for that matter.  And every war gravestone in New Zealand has the silver fern on it.

As for ‘God, King and country’.  Well, God I accept.  Country I accept.  But King?  The country the King, now Queen, lives in was the same country that left New Zealand a little in the financial poo some many years ago with their joining the European Economic Community.  Poor New Zealand was left a little out of the trade bargaining after that.  Was not a lot of loyalty to the century and a half of New Zealand's British patriotism shown to us then - when they were looking at what side of the bread would be best buttered for them, we were left flailing.  

Undoubtedly one of the best things that happened to this little Commonwealth country. Indeed, it was from then on that little old New Zealand learnt it was a fairly smart little dominion and began to find avenues of income in many other forms, successfully, since losing the reliance on Britain buying the major production of our dairy and meat produce.

Speaking of meat, interesting that some of our sports people consider the silver fern as the symbol of New Zealand they most relate to.  Mahe Drysdale came into that debate, stating his views on this being our chance to make the silver fern our symbol.  

This week the other New Zealand rower, Eric Bond, made similar comments about his positive view of us having a new flag for them to fly when they take podium places at the World Rowing Championships.  Love his great optimism.

This is a great shot of our four gold medalists from the last Olympics - something silver and fern-like stands out.

                         


And interestingly our Commonwealth and Olympic medalist, Beatrice, happens to be on the flag changing panel. 

When I had my little tour business it always gave me pleasure to take tourists along bush walks and come across a silver fern tree, stopped them and turn the leaf over and explain to them the meaning of our world recognised fern. There were many an American travelling home with a silver fern leaf tucked in among the pages of a book or luggage.  It always had them consider it a ‘charming’ emblem.

I mentioned the koru earlier.  I note many of the final flag samples the government has now whittled the selection down to has the koru symbol emblazoned.   I love the koru.  I have koru badges, necklaces, broaches, and even bracelet trinkets of korus.  It means much to me.  It means new life, growth, harmony and new beginnings.  Guess that what flag changing represents too, new beginnings.  However, would there be anyone overseas who would have the slightest idea what the koru is?  What it means?  I read an article in today’s newspaper where an American tabloid has described it as a “curly thing”. 

As much as I love the koru – I remind myself, what is it really?  It is the new shoot of … a silver fern. 

What would bother me most if the Koru were accepted, is that Air New Zealand would be in marketing heaven.  Indeed, they could halve their marketing team as the New Zealand flag would be the company's greatest marketing tool and emblem.  Now that I ponder on this I realise it should not bother me as Air NZ is majorly NZ owned; maybe the Koru on the flag would be a good thing!

I spent five months of 2014 travelling around the United Kingdom and Italy.  No one, anywhere came up to me, or my sister and I, and asked where we were from.  We were obvious tourists, yet no one bothered to engage us in conversation.  Wherever I went I took my swimming gear, which included my black swim suit with the big silver fern across the front and back.  I went swimming in a pool in Central London in this suit, and a man came up and asked if I was a Kiwi. He recognised the silver fern.  We had a long chat about whatever, it was an enjoyable encounter.   I went swimming in another indoor pool in Wales and a young couple came up to me after recognizing the silver fern and told me they spent time in New Zealand in 2008.  Two delightful conversations occurred simply because of the silver fern, the recognizable silver fern.

When Tony and I were in Toulouse in 2010 we went to a little suburban café and there on the wall were a row of international rugby jerseys, with the All Black one proudly displayed at the top.  When the waiter came to take our order we pointed to the jersey and said we were from New Zealand and showed him the silver fern broach I was wearing.  We got free wine that night, because he was the proprietor and the All Blacks were his heros.  We were countrymen of the All Blacks who carry the silver fern wherever they go, therefore the wine was on him.

So, six pages later you can figure my view on the flag and flag change. 

I note the many antagonists on talk back radio who are angry about any flag change are either from the RSA or have a slight tinge of a UK accent.  Or are totally, totally against the change due to their life-long loyalty to any New Zealand political party other than National. Or is that just my imagination?  But, as has often happened, when the talk back presenter presses, they confess to either being died-in-the-wool anti-National, or having some UK family history.

Because I am neither blue, nor red, nor green, or whatever other colour the politics of our country are I find it hard to be anti-something due solely to a particular political party pressing for it.  

In my mind I will presume those are the same people that are heard saying when new immigrants come to this country they should ‘integrate’.  That they are in their new country now and should feel grateful for being here, so therefore should leave their past behind and begin anew in this new country and adopt our customs.  Funny how many old school or UK folk don’t want to let go of the Union Jack. 

Yes, the flag does represent history.  And we all learn from history.  Fortunately it is impossible to live in history.  But history is something tangible to learn from.  We cannot move forward into the future without looking back to the past.  If you prefer to live in the past, and the flag debate is your ‘snozzle’ good for you.  May the Union Jack stay for you. 

The flag is not a pressing issue really.  Not in the realm of other happenings in our world. 

But, like it or not, National Party or Labour Party, the flag is going to change.  The question is merely when.