Time to have courage and change the music, writes one of our best-known painters.

The Labour leader is walking a tightrope in delivering trade messages, writes Claire Trevett.

Let's get serious - this is an opportunity to say something about New Zealand's place in the world, writes Mike Hosking.

The Labour leader thinks so and claims many New Zealanders prefer to sing along to the Australian anthem.

Having watched John Key's obviously flagging campaign for a new flag, Andrew Little had some advice for the PM in Parliament yesterday.

As the Flag Consideration Panel spoke to empty halls around the country, there was another stealthy roadshow going on in front of larger audiences.

More than 9100 designs submitted by the public will now be reduced to a lost of 75 for serious consideration after submissions closed last night.

Perhaps it's a slight tweaking of the Union Jack and Southern Cross design? Maybe it's a simple silver fern on black? Or is it something completely new?

Many submitters had asked for the first of the two referendums, due to be held later this year, to ask whether voters wanted a new flag rather than wait until the second referendum.

I am sceptical that these people will be able to elicit the right answer from our population about what we actually do stand for as a country, writes Dita De Boni.

There is no point talking about changing the flag until we find one that says, yes, this is us, now, writes John Roughan. This might be the one.

With koru shapes, flightless birds and silver ferns off the agenda, what will Peter Bromhead and his crack design team put on their new flag?

Personally, I'm all for a new flag, writes Brian Rudman. But it has to be as part of the process of cutting all our constitutional apron strings with Mother England.

The chairman of the Flag Consideration Project panel says despite a low turnout at public meetings, the issue has been hotly debated online.

New Zealand adults have rediscovered crayons, water colours and Microsoft Paint thanks to the The Flag Consideration Project, writes Heather du Plessis-Allan.

The current flag and its salute to British imperialism is cringeworthy, and an insult, writes Gareth Morgan.

The Flag Consideration Panel, overseeing new flag proposals, today revealed the most frequently-cited themes in new flag designs.

New Zealand is one step closer to choosing or ditching a new flag and Kiwis have been invited this morning to design their own banner.

Our flag poll results are in, and they're emphatic.

There were strong calls to let voters vote on whether or not to change the flag before deciding on an alternative design during the first round of submissions on the upcoming referendums.

Paul Little writes: Everything about our flag is wrong, starting with the colours. They belong instead to the colonial heritage we are trying to grow out of.

New Zealand First is supporting a campaign for the referendum on changing the flag to first ask whether people want it changed at all.

Labour will oppose a bill setting up the two referendums deciding the fate of the flag because of a sticking point over the order of the questions.

A panel of high-profile New Zealanders charged with selecting a shortlist of new flag designs will each pocket $640 a day.

The process is expected to cost $25.7 million, of which $17.3 million is for the two referenda and the remainder for public consulation.

New Zealand First has pulled out of a committee which will decide how the public votes on the national flag, calling it a distraction.

Putting aside the political and nationalistic debates about NZ adopting a new flag, there are some interesting business and economic aspects.