As a child, i grew up in a normal New Zealand school (several actually!) , the one thing we really hated doing drawing was the new zealand flag.

First you had to get blue paper, or colour the whole damned thing blue (which took HOURS), Then do a square of some sort on the top left and do your cross inside that. Then once you had that you put the diagonal lines through the cross. It was about then you realized the flag actually has white lines either side of the cross and they are already coloured in so you would madly try and get that in. Then you had to try and guess where the stars went and if it was NZ that had 5, or Australia? and how come Australia have a 5th star? are we abnormal ? can we not count ? does this make them better than us?

Eventually we would end up with something that looked like this

Not so pretty huh? but now apparently we have a Maori flag, to be honest most people in NZ are not Maori, and that’s just as hard to draw!

So now there is suggestion that we have a whole NEW flag, at which point i thought AHHH!!! BRILLIANT!

Now we can be like overseas flags, using just 3 stripes (only 3 crayons and a ruler required!!), or even like the Japanese with a large round polka dot (looks like somebody head butted it!).

I have to say, even Switzerland have a brilliant flag, which is easy to draw, even if it does get mistaken for a first aid stop!

If we decide on using the Union Jack again maybe we can simplify it. Stripes seems to be a fairly common theme according to wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallery_of_striped_flags

so I’ve come up with a few ideas of my own. All are simple and easy to draw, I have tried to make them as Modern as possible, and they should appeal to Maori and White New Zealanders and really anyone online. The best one I believe is the more simple one. Easy for kids to draw, easy for anyone to identify with because im sure EVERYONE has felt this way before.

What is it you ask?

Post your ideas in the comments – including pics!

ps. This is said in humour, entirely in jest. No offence is meant to anyone.

Heres an email from a friend, can you help him out?

Do you guys know anyone (singular or plural) that has McDonalds or Burger king toys and figures and plastic animals or that sort of thing (any really) they no longer want? I am looking for as many as i can get to use in a video project over the next couple of months. I need heaps. Any i do not use or have finished with will end up being given to preschools etc. If you know of anyone get them to drop them off if they can or if you can collect any and dump them here that would be great or Post to

Lance,

PO Box 768,

Hamilton.

Names etc would be great with them so i can give credit at the end.

Making a number of videos that will be educational and funny, covering Maori language and myths and legends and a few other (non-Maori) stories.