Let's have the silver fern, PM says

John Key's doodle, complete with copyright symbol and signature.

Prime Minister John Key's on-camera silver fern flag doodle has won support from two prominent supporters of a redesign.

Mr Key - appearing on TVNZ's Breakfast show yesterday - said the silver fern would look magnificent on a flagpole. He quickly sketched his version of a possible new flag.

Last night, Order of New Zealand members Sir Geoffrey Palmer and Jonathan Hunt supported his choice of emblem.

"I've said all along that the silver fern was good," said Sir Geoffrey, a former PM. He said NZ had a large range of ferns "and they're so beautiful and I think represent us well".

Mr Hunt, a former Cabinet minister, Speaker of the House and high commissioner to London, was also an enthusiastic supporter.

"The silver fern is the best. I think a lot of people have been waiting around for it and I think it's time [to make it the national flag]."

Last week, Mr Key, in response to the Herald's campaign for a new flag, said it would be "very foolish" for the Government to focus on whether New Zealand needed one.

But yesterday, he indulged his Breakfast hosts by penning a silver fern in black ink.

"Not withstanding that I have said that I would keep the New Zealand flag [as it is] just simply because there are probably bigger issues to sort of deal with, my personal view is if you had an alternative ... I would go with [the silver fern]."

Artist Cliff Whiting, another member of the Order of NZ, said it was good to see the PM advocating for change. "If [the flag] ends up being the fern then so be it, but we need something different from what we've got now."

Another member, former Cabinet minister Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, said the silver fern had been around for years.

"It's a brand. I'm looking at the artistic side as well as representation and I think [the Tino Rangatiratanga flag] is perfect."

After yesterday's show, Mr Key's doodle was put on the Trade Me auction site, with the proceeds to go to the Cure Kids charity.

Just before midnight last night, bidding had reached $665.

WHAT KEY SAID

Last week: For the Government to set its focus on whether we need a new New Zealand flag I think would be a very foolish thing to do when you are trying to deal with big international economic issues.

Yesterday morning, on the silver fern as the national flag: I actually think it looks magnificent on a flagpole, it's what's on our national sporting teams, it unifies us.