19 July 2004

Glenn Colquhoun, Dame Kate Harcourt & Michael Mayell join NZflag.com debate

Poet Glenn Colquhoun; Actor and Broadcaster Dame Kate Harcourt; and, Michael Mayell, founder of 'Cookie Time' are the latest New Zealand leaders to endorse changing New Zealand's flag.

Doctor & Poet Glenn Colquhoun has written a poem as his endorsement of the Nzflag.com Trust campaign :

Own thoughts (with apologies to Denis Glover)

I do not dream of our old flag or quaint old England's quaint old rags - I think of what may yet be made of taniwha and golden bays

In her endorsement of the campaign, Dame Kate Harcourt stated "I want a flag that doesn't confuse - a flag that my grandchildren can wave in the confident knowledge that the world knows them for who they are and for what they proudly represent."

Entrepreneur and founder of Cookie Time Michael Mayell noted changing the flag is a "no-brainer", pointing out that "Timing is everything. New Zealand is HOT at the moment! Let's do it before Australia does."

Over fifty prominent Kiwis across a range of disciplines including sports, the arts, education, religion and business are pushing for a referendum on a new national flag.

Their names, photographs and endorsements appear on the www.nzflag.com website (http://www.nzflag.com/endorsements.cfm) and include Olympic gold medallist, Barbara Kendall; world champion squash player Susan Devoy; musician, Neil Finn, and businessmen Stephen Tindall, Dick Hubbard and Chris Liddell.

The www.NZFlag.com Trust, established in April seeks to gather around 300,000 signatures early next year to hold a referendum asking New Zealanders to have their say on whether New Zealand should change its flag.

ENDS

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