Prime Minister John Key announces that he intends hold a referendum to change the NZ flag within 12 months. The proposed design is the silver fern on a black background removing both the Union Jack and confusion with the current Australian flag. The move came out of the blue and will be worth watching to see if it has any spillover effects on New Zealand republican fervour, pretty muted to date. Interestingly, a referendum is not required but will be held with support thought to hover around 50% at most. Smart move for Key to announce his proposed new design at the same time thus removing a vacuum that can be readily and quickly filled by competing designs, many voices and a lot of shouting. Onya New Zealand for showing Australia up as mind-numbingly conservative and stuck-in-the past despite its potential to be a flexible, adaptive, modern nation moving with the times.
Woman for an Australian Republic, Adelaide Ironside, republican poet and artist 1831-1867
Self portrait 1855, Newcastle Art Gallery NSW
