The students of Pyes Pa School have voted 90-51 in favour of keeping the current New Zealand Flag.

The school held its own referendum today as part of an exercise designed to teach students about voting, engaging in the democratic process, and the importance of making their voices heard.

Pyes Pa students, from left: Jessica Marsh, Indy Rhodes, Angelina Voss and Jordan Cooper casting their vote in the school's flag referendum today. Photo: Bruce Barnard

Each of the school's 141 students ticked off their names against a roll and casted votes on ballot papers which look almost identical to those mailed out to Kiwis up and down the country recently.

Pyes Pa principal Michelle Thurlow says while legally their votes don't count, it was an interesting exercise nonetheless which also raised a few eyebrows.

'We actually thought the results would be a lot closer than what they were in the end,” she says.

'The older students seemed to have a more considered and balanced approach to why or why not the flag should be changed, while the younger ones probably made their decision based on what the flags looked like.

'We even had five or six students, of their own accord, turn up with banners and placards and protested against changing the flag.”

Pyes Pa is one of a number schools throughout New Zealand who've run referendums using material and information provided by the Electoral Commission. Their results will now be sent to the commission who'll tally up the votes of all participating school.

Today's exercise was a project led by the Pyes Pa's senior student leaders who've spent this week visiting all of the school's classrooms to explain what the referendum was all about and the importance of it to their fellow students.

'It's been a great learning opportunity for our students who've learned not only about voting but also about concepts like identity, culture, symbolism, citizenship and what the flag means to people.

'Most of our student had an understanding of what is happening with the referendum due to their parents talking about it and this just helps to strengthen their learning.

'It's also been about giving the students a voice in our school becuase we like to hear what they have to say.”