Orientation Week at the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic was an exciting time of encouraging students to make their voices heard in our political climate. And what better current topic than the flag referendum before us? Students walking past our full and lively tent, pitched just across from other major political parties, were offered the choice of having their picture taken with a poster that said "Keep Our Flag", one that said "Change Our Flag" and one that said, "I want change, but not this one".
We took over a hundred photos of students voting. The results?
The overwhelming majority of students adamantly voted to keep our flag. Maybe four of the more than one-hundred pictures were a vote to change the flag; two a vote for a different flag design and six were entirely apathetic and not in pictures.
Our students are representative of the rest of our Nation. Polls indicate that more than two-thirds of New Zealanders are voting to keep our flag, indicating no change in overall public opinion despite the millions this Government has spent into promoting an unwanted flag change.
The new concern becomes a Government that has ignored so many referenda in the past, consistently passing hundreds of laws (over four-hundred, in fact) without even consulting the House. Will this same Government be able to respect voter decision this time?
Whatever they choose, I will continue to honour your vote, making sure that it is your voice and your interest represented in Parliament. The way it ought to be.
