Northland Age
  • Northland Age home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
  • Opinion
  • Kaitaia weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Far North
  • Kaitaia
  • Kaikohe
  • Bay of Islands
  • Whangārei

Weather

  • Kaitaia
  • Whangārei
  • Dargaville

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Northland Age

Keep the flag - change the PM

Northland Age
30 Sep, 2015 07:39 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

ALTERNATIVE: Robyn York telling Saturday's flag change protest in Kaitaia that it would be a better idea to change the Prime Minister.

ALTERNATIVE: Robyn York telling Saturday's flag change protest in Kaitaia that it would be a better idea to change the Prime Minister.

It wasn't the biggest protest ever in the North, but those who converged on Kaitaia's market on Saturday morning to air their opposition to the process of potentially adopting a new national flag certainly made themselves heard.

Robyn York suggested that it would be a better idea, and possibly cheaper, to keep the current flag and change the Prime Minister, while Whiti Rivers drew a connection between the flag proposal and the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trade Minister Tim Groser and Prime Minister John Key seemed to be in conflict, he said, Mr Groser saying he would not be in the United States that weekend and Mr Key suggesting that the TPP was a "done deal."

"Who's dictating the terms here?" Mr Rivers asked.

"It's politicians and corporations. Unilateral decisions are being made by the National government in collusion with corporations. They (corporations) don't even have to be in this country to have an impact on our future."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Meanwhile the often-criticised $26 million cost of the flag referendum would only be the start if the decision to change was made he added. He estimated that the cost of change to the taxpayer would be more than $200 million, with millions more for non-government organisations.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Northland Age

Northland Age

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Northland Age

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Northland Age

Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

09 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Northland Age

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

School lunch programme saves $130m, student satisfaction rises, Govt says

10 Jul 02:00 AM

Associate Education Minister David Seymour says complaints have fallen by 92%.

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

Changing times: Kiwibank's new model prompts mixed reactions

10 Jul 02:00 AM
Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

Far North approves 10.95% rates rise, slightly lower than forecast

09 Jul 06:00 PM
Far North news in brief: FNDC reviews rates policy, Toastie Takeover

Far North news in brief: FNDC reviews rates policy, Toastie Takeover

09 Jul 05:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • The Northland Age e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to The Northland Age
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The Northland Age
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP