As a result of the All Blacks heading for the Rugby World Cup final again, quite a few NZ flags can be seen fluttering around the region and in Waikanae, many more than you normally see.  The bemusing aspect is that no doubt because of the national flag referendum, some are flying the present official flag rather than the black and silver fern, lest they be seen as supporters of a flag change, and as a result there are are probably more of the existing national flag (pictured) to be seen than in a long time…

Members of the Neighbourly website will have noted a vigorous debate between supporters of the existing flag and those who prefer changing it, and the two camps are about evenly split, after some 1400 votes.

We are on the side of those who think NZ needs a better flag than one which looks like a communist version of the Australian flag. If the results of the poll are reliable, the Kyle Lockwood black flag (pictured) has the slight edge over the red and blue version.