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"Red Peak … has gained traction through the strength of its intrinsic design qualities and embedded meanings" writes the former head of design at Elam School of Fine Arts.

OPINION: I am in favour of changing the New Zealand flag but now find myself considering voting for the retention of the current flag. How did this come about? 

When John Key announced the process for finding a new one I knew that New Zealand was unlikely to get a great new flag.  The revealing of the top forty designs and the initial final four has confirmed that. 

There were many designs, some by experienced designers, which were far superior to most in the first cut.  But I must commend the Flag Consideration Panel in getting two things right – firstly, the deletion of the kiwi. There is nothing as French as Le Tricolore with its simple blue-white-red vertical panels. No need for cute frogs or coqs. Similarly, Old Glory does a splendid job without the bald eagle. Secondly they discarded the white or silver fern on a black background. Not only is this deadly dull with unfortunate connotations but many New Zealanders do not want to be defined by the All Blacks.

Of the forty flags in the first cut perhaps two would meet robust design criteria. None of the initial final four would. 

And here is the heart of the issue – design. The overly large Flag Consideration Panel did not contain any top designers. They apparently deferred to designers in their deliberation but the evidence is clear that the advice was either poor or unheeded. And as the process enters the popularity contest stage designers are completely cut out of any input.

It is interesting that at the same time the four final flag designs were announced, the new bank notes were released. No popularity contest circus or millions of dollars spent. The job was quietly, and correctly, given to a specialist bank note designer.

Some commentators have suggested that conservative oldies will vote for no change in the final referendum. That is partly true but let's not forget that these oldies (myself included) were in their late teens in the 1960s and enthusiastically embraced the explosion of new graphic design, art, film, fashion and architecture that blossomed then. We were the children of the avant-garde. My guess is that most of us know good design when we see it and will be very disappointed at the final flag offering, with the exception of Red Peak. The worst scenario surely would be to replace the current flag with anything less than great design.

Other commentators have suggested a referendum should have first asked, "Do you want a new flag?" That would have been wrong. If Parisians had first been asked if they wanted the Eiffel Tower or Sydney-siders asked if they wanted the Opera House neither would have got out of the ground as both projects fought huge local opposition at the time. Great leadership can launch great examples of creative endeavour that are eventually embraced.

So what are the options to the referendum process?  Let's look at a recent and very successful new flag design, that of South Africa. South Africa went through a public participation process but their committee rejected all proposals and a matter of days before Nelson Mandela's inauguration President F.W.de Klerk commissioned flag designer Frederick Brownell to design the new republic's flag, which was very well received. 

We don't have that fall-back option but are instead locked in to an irreversible headlong rush to mediocrity.  John Key's approach is democratic and fair but the public should be under no illusion that great design will result.

The Flag Consideration Panel's selection of two near identical and widely popular Kyle Lockwood designs is baffling as this will only split the vote. If one was a conspiracy theorist the argument could be advanced that by splitting the vote the black and white fern flag will come through to fit the agenda of the Prime Minister and the corporate "brand New Zealand" advocates.

The entry into the fray of Red Peak throws open uplifting possibilities. Red Peak answers all robust design criteria including the Flag Consideration Panel's own brief but they missed that one.

Credit however must be given to Lockwood's fern/Southern Cross design. We have been given a popularity contest so taking two popular icons and plonking them side-by-side fits that brief well.

Red Peak on the other hand was not designed to win a popularity contest but has gained traction through the strength of its intrinsic design qualities and embedded meanings. Simple geometric designs do not date.

The Austrian flag for example is red, white, red horizontal bands and its design originates from 1230 when Duke Leopold V was injured during the Crusades. When he removed his bloodstained white shirt there was a white horizontal stripe where his belt was. This became the timeless flag that Austria has today, modern design in its purest form. New Zealand deserves a similar bold design to take us into the future, not a clutch of icons.

To those who advocate we should keep the current flag because our soldiers fought under it I can only respond by saying my father fought in WWII for the principles the flag represents, not the design.

I hope I'm proved wrong but if I was to make a prediction on the referendum outcomes it is that one of the Lockwood designs will come through the first referendum but stall at the final one as the combined votes of the diehard no-change brigade and the staunch Red Peak supporters will prevail.

That won't be the end of the Red Peak flag though. It will be manufactured by the thousand, flown proudly and find its way onto bumper stickers and all manner of things.

Future tourists may be confused and Red Peak will rise again and New Zealand will look back at an opportunity lost.

Bret de Thier is the former Head of Design at the University of Auckland's Elam School of Fine Arts.

 - Stuff