Naylor Jono: New Zealand Flag Referendums Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In CommitteeText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeNaylor Jono: New Zealand Flag Referendums Amendment Bill — First Reading Second Reading In Committee[Sitting date: 23 September 2015. Volume:709;Page:6986. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]JONO NAYLOR (National): I will limit my contribution to a few main points this evening. It has been interesting watching the debate as it has unfolded this evening—seeing another little turn round the mulberry bush if you like—on the flag referendums legislation. I just want to address a few things that have been raised. Earlier Mr Mallard accused the Prime Minister and the Government of misleading the public and that is a pretty bold sort of an assertion to make. I think Mr Mallard probably needs to understand the difference between that and making a statement and then listening to the concerns of the public responding to those concerns and those issues that have been raised and then perhaps altering the course of what is occurring. If one is to have an idea about what is going to happen and then listens in response that is not the same as misleading and I think that that was completely wrong and out of order.The other thing that I think is interesting about this amendment bill that has been brought forth is that it is talking about increasing the number of options from four to five in the first referendum. I find it somewhat ironic actually. I have to wonder whether if we had had five in the first place Red Peak would have actually made it into the top five. My guess is probably not—I think it would be safe to assume that it probably would not have.However what we have seen from the people who are the supporters of Red Peak—of which I have to say I am not necessarily one—is a very good campaign to engage the public. We have seen 22000 Facebook likes we have seen 50000 people sign a petition and engage with us we have seen the #redpeak really take off on Twitter and I have even got a few “Red Peak-inese” in my own family who actually like the idea of this design being in. So we have seen a groundswell of public opinion. We have seen the Red Peak movement achieve something that actually the supporters of a lot of other flag designs have not. So it is beholden on Parliament now to decide whether or not we think that is a sufficient enough public voice for us to change our process and allow a fifth flag in. By and large if we go by the voting results of the first reading of this bill it seems that right across the House apart from one particular party there is wide support and we would agree that those people have done enough to warrant getting their Red Peak flag into the first referendum.The other thing that I want to visit this evening is the hoary old chestnut that the Labour Party keeps bringing up which is that we should bring in a yes/no vote. You know those members could not accept defeat the first time around on having a yes/no vote so they are going to come back and have another crack at that. There has not been the same groundswell of public opinion about a yes/no vote—there has not been the 50000 likes on Facebook for “Can we please have a yes/no vote in the first referendum?” in the way that the “Red Peak-inese” have brought that forward—and there has not been the same number of petitions brought forward to ask for a yes/no vote so there is not really any point in our revisiting that. But when we get to the Committee of the whole House those members’ wee bill will be brought forward as a Supplementary Order Paper and we will be moving from there.You see the thing about the yes/no vote being introduced is that it is a little bit of a “to-may-to”/“to-mar-to” thing I guess in some respects. Mr Hughes indicated earlier that he had some sympathy for bringing it in but actually we fundamentally believe that having the yes/no vote second rather than first is the way to proceed. And you know I left my piece of paper here with my notes on it before and someone else came along and wrote “Don’t change the flag.” on it. Someone in this House does not want to change the flag—there are actually one or two of them in fact who do not want to change the flag. Those people will get a vote. Despite the protests of Mr O’Rourke and the people in New Zealand First those people who fundamentally do not want to change the flag will get a vote. That vote might not be in the first referendum but it will be in the second referendum. They will get that choice. It will go through.That brings me to my final point. This referendum process is all about the people of New Zealand having a choice in the flag that is going to represent them. They may well choose the current flag and if that is what they want to do they can get out there and they can campaign for that. They can promote that and I say all power to them. And do you know what? It will be the first time ever that the people of New Zealand will have chosen that flag or in fact any flag. So I commend this amendment bill to this House.