Flag

Rancid Schnitzel

. 
The Labour leader urged the Prime Minister to "stop wasting money on his pet project and use it to help needy children instead." 
Seriously?

taniwharugby

yeah they should just ditch it now, it's apparently abundantly clear NZ has spoken and we don't want a change in flag!

taniwharugby

we have a winner: that was my choice, now need to think about whether I prefer that over the existing.
 
<img src="http://images.scribblelive.com/2015/12/11/8ce7b257-8a3b-4d6f-907d-2c6e7d27f482.jpg" alt="8ce7b257-8a3b-4d6f-907d-2c6e7d27f482.jpg">
 
1,527,042 votes were cast, including 148,022 informal votes (9.7%) and 2,476 invalid votes (0.16%).
Voter turnout is 48.16%.

jegga

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Rancid Schnitzel" data-cid="547113" data-time="1449790451">. 
The Labour leader urged the Prime Minister to "stop wasting money on his pet project and use it to help needy children instead." 
Seriously?</blockquote>
 
The greens co leader told him off for referring to moronic women who leave to join Isis as " jihadi brides" . 
Because it's sexist to think that all a woman can be is a wife. 
Our opposition parties are a joke , this is not a good thing long term for us

No Quarter

While that was my first pick, I'm still not sold on the design at all. The Fern looks like a feather, and half the flag is just our current flag. 
Very disappointing options to choose from. Why the fuck did we add fucking "red peak" as a 5th option instead of black with a Silver Fern? Agrh.

taniwharugby

still ALOT of numpties out there who have no idea whats going on...
 
comments like 'it's ok, but I prefer the current one' or 'but I prefer the current one' (like this is the new flag) 
 
and then there are the standard 'waste of money' 'shoulda spent money on feeding kids'

Donsteppa

In your face Red Peak! 
Whatever happens, at least we won't have a corporate logo as a flag.

Billy Tell

I reckon at present it's about 60/40 split in favour of the current flag. 3 months is enough for the pro-change to mount a campaign, and for people to think about a new flag, but if I was a betting man I'd say a 55/45 final split is probably what will happen.
 
I'm like taniwha, anyone who drops the "money could have been better spent elsewhere" line loses my attention instantly.

MajorRage

At least Red Peak has fucked off.
 
Funny story about the 26 mill expenditure. My sister is a massive lefty who works in the govt. I asked her opinion on it, just for shits and giggles. Her opinion was:
 
"26 million is what the govt spend on social issues about every 30 mins. People who offer that have no clue what they are talking about and are just using it as an excuse to vote against it, without realising by voting for this reason, they are actually the anti-thesis of their own view"
 
Not often I agree with my sister.

Baron Silas Greenback

I think the current flag will stay, but I also think it is a possibility that voter antipathy might skew the results compared to polling.

Rembrandt

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MajorRage" data-cid="547234" data-time="1449824549">
At least Red Peak has fucked off. 
Funny story about the 26 mill expenditure. My sister is a massive lefty who works in the govt. I asked her opinion on it, just for shits and giggles. Her opinion was: 
"26 million is what the govt spend on social issues about every 30 mins. People who offer that have no clue what they are talking about and are just using it as an excuse to vote against it, without realising by voting for this reason, they are actually the anti-thesis of their own view" 
Not often I agree with my sister.</blockquote>
 
That is just about the best thing I've read in days. 
If its not too forward, is your sister around 30 and currently single? That is an intellect I can get on board with!

Rembrandt

Absolutely stoked with the results, very impressed with New Zealand right now. 
The 'peoples' flag and the 'I hate democracy' brigade got dicked and over a million likes for the fern. 
Could be a lot closer than I initially thought and someone mentioned already that 3 months is a long time, will be interesting what starts popping up advertising-wise for flag promotion. I guess we can expect another tidal wave of retard but maybe we might get sone good debate too. Would be nice if the redpeak marketing team had a go at promoting blue/black to give it more of a chance.

jegga

Have the vexilogists made a statement yet?

Rembrandt

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="547248" data-time="1449827856">
Have the vexilogists made a statement yet?</blockquote>
 
I'm sure its being drafted as we speak. Will be great to see what an expert has to say as to what the right choice actually is

Billy Tell

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="547248" data-time="1449827856">
<div>
Have the vexilogists made a statement yet?
</div>
</blockquote>
He he.
 
The whole point of a flag is that it appeals to the masses, not to vexilogists, nor to people with a PhD in graphic design or PC-ness. The Lockwood flag might be a "fail" for a vexilogist or a left-wing arty PC designer, but a decent chunk of the NZ population like it enough.
 
Will be interesting to see if anyone puts forward any coherent arguments as to the merits of the current flag that don't involve mentioning John Key or $26M.
 
I think the rest of the world will think us weird if we willingly vote to keep a colonial relic with a British flag in the upper corner and an unhealthy resemblance to the Australian flag.

TeWaio

My voting paper never showed up, despite complaining and then asking them to try re-send it. The enrollment confirmation did show up in the post when I registered in August.
 
Thanks a lot, great value for $26m. Good thing the one I like won.

Rancid Schnitzel

Somewhere in a ridiculously overpriced Auckland bar, a tattooed hipster will emerge to complain that no one he knows didn't vote for Red Peak. 
Somewhere in England a New Zealand immigrant will be wrapped in an engineering firm's flag, bitterly complaining about the stupidity of his fellow countrymen. He'll then go off to get a flu shot.

rotated

<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="TeWaio" data-cid="547257" data-time="1449830817">
<div>
My voting paper never showed up, despite complaining and then asking them to try re-send it. The enrollment confirmation did show up in the post when I registered in August.
 
Thanks a lot, great value for $26m. Good thing the one I like won.
</div>
</blockquote>
 
I got mine despite living overseas and not being eligible to vote after not having been back to NZ since 2011. So they are doing well.

rotated

Looking at the data of the results <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://electionresults.govt.nz/2015_flag_referendum1/results-by-count-report.html'>so many thoughts</a>:
 
Despite the negativity the results to make me very concerned that Blue/Black has a chance of getting over the line with the right marketing. Basically they need to transform this from "changing the flag" to "getting rid of the union jack". If they can do that successfully they have a shot.
 
Blue/black and red/black commanded 82% of the primary vote - to me that there is a move by a decent part of the country to change the flag, but not too dramatically! They overwhelmingly chose the safest designs with the most resemblance to our current flag - this option is the best to take to an electorate with that mindset.
 
Also interesting that 80% of Koru's votes were transferred to Red Peak and Silver Fern. That to me says there is a strong but small group who think the Lockwood designs are shit (I fall into this group), but still participated in the process - the bigger question is how many of the 2+ million who didn't vote because they thought they were all shit/thought it was futile/didn't get their papers like TeWaio.
 
The fact this process produced a silver fern design that got 8% of the vote is a total indictment on the whole process.
 
edit: Just saw the 10% informal vote. Between that and the ~12% of the population that wouldn't vote for a Lockwood design in a pink fit you need about ~71% of the remaining voters to get it up - just don't see it happening, but if they play it smart as above they can get close. Keep going how they are and it will be a landslide for "No"

taniwharugby

This flag wasn't the one Key preferred either was it? That may actually help some of the anti-key brigade actually vote sensibly rather than just to oppose him.

The Silver Fern

Flag