Fellow citizens. Every morning I greet the sunrise of this beautiful land. I give thanks to our creator for the privilege of living in this free land as I raise our flag to the mast. I give thanks for the benefits of our democratic way of life and the decent way of life we enjoy.

These privileges are not enjoyed universally. Our early settlers toiled in mud and slush in primitive conditions to build great highways, ports, cities and towns, electricity supplied water schemes hospitals, schools etc – all of which we enjoy today.

Maori and Pakeha, men and women, worked together under the ideals spoken by Governor William Hobson at Waitangi in 1940: 'He iwi tahi tatau – We are one people”. These words were spoken under our present flag, now with the addition of the stars of the Southern Cross.

I'm writing as an older man. My schooldays were spent during the World War II. Our young men, often elder brothers, Maori and European, were overseas fighting to protect us and our country – not just for our flag, but certainly it was an honoured symbol. There were no arguments then about whether we needed to change our flag.

We all loved and honoured our flag. In schools throughout the country, the day started with an assembly of all children. The flag was hoisted to the masthead, suitable music played through loudspeakers and we marched into our respective classrooms.
No dispute then. The alternative then would be ‘no choice'.

Not if we were defeated. Just strict obedience to the German Swastika or the Japanese ‘Rising Sun' flags.

If you have not yet voted on a change of flag possibility, and you think our present and historic flag is ‘old fashioned', please think very carefully before deciding.

To throw away tradition and the symbolic history, which our ancestors worked and fought for, and left in our care, would seem to me quite insulting.

L Anderson, Omokoroa