Mana Mews editor Joe Trinder

The upcoming flag referendum there are many arguments for an against. The Returned Services Association believes many of its servicemen served under the New Zealand Flag when at Gallipoli they fought under the British Flag. The same as Edmund Hilary he placed the Union Jack on top of Mount Everest not the New Zealand Flag.

The other argument is our flag is easily mistaken for Australia’s Flag and we need a flag that looks uniquely Kiwi. These arguments are compelling but the Government out of a lack of empathy has not managed to convince all New Zealanders.

The Flag referendum costs $26 Million dollars and the deployment of Troops to Iraq costs $60 million. These costs are categorically optional for a Nation.

When the National government decided to vote down the feed the kids bill out of spite it lost the moral high-ground to change our National identity. Using lame excuses like “Ultimately its the parents responsibility to feed their Children” -Paula Bennett

We know it’s the parents responsibility but children are starving in Schools all over the country. How do helpless children control their parents finances. The next generation of New Zealanders are being neglected for a vanity project.

The Flag referendum has the potential to back fire on the Government where many New Zealanders will opt for the Tino rangatiratanga flag as their National flag.