Brian Rudman: Fold up the old one and send it back to the British Navy

In raising the tino rangatiratanga flag alongside the boring official New Zealand ensign in public places tomorrow, we're halfway to solving our flag problem.

All we then have to do, is fold up the old flag at the end of the day and send it back to the British admirals from whom we borrowed it all those years ago.

We'd be left with the classiest new flag in the world. I'm not fussed that it's not brand new. After all, the current one is an adaptation of a British naval flag, one which our Australian neighbours also nicked around the same time, adding a confusingly similar collection of stars in the process.

The tino rangatiratanga flag, in its brief life, has already blossomed from the flag of the Northland Te Kawariki protest group, to a de facto Maori flag which is embraced by all but a few. Having had one transmogrification it should have no problem being reborn yet again, becoming the banner, not just of the Maori nation, but of all New Zealanders.

I'll be honest, my affection for this flag is strictly on a feel-good basis. Whether it's fluttering on a the aerial of a clapped-out ute, or flowing over the heads of a parade of protesters, it's a stirring sight. As a looker, it knocks any other contender out of the ring.

The 1834 "independence" flag which some Northern Maori still cling too, has the same problems as the existing ensign. It's a cast-off from the British Navy with assorted local doodles.

As for the silver fern/feather on a black background that sports fans embrace, in my view, the sports field is the best place for it. Black is the colour of pirates, of war, of conflict.

The tino rangatiratanga flag on the other hand is uniquely of this land. It is not just eye-wateringly good, it also tells a riveting story, a stylised representation of the Maori creation myth, with earth and sky being pushed apart by the central white koru, the whole representing the unfolding of new life.

There's something there for both the big bang brigade and the creationists, and for every Kiwi schooled in this uniquely Pacific lore.

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