Mark Ron: General DebateText is incorporated into the Bound VolumeMark Ron: General Debate[Sitting date: 23 September 2015. Volume:709;Page:6933. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.]RON MARK (Deputy Leader—NZ First): Well that was an interesting speech and hearing “strategy” coming from the architect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement—and what a failure that has been—was quite I can only say astonishing. I would say this to Mr Groser: pride is one of the seven deadly sins and pride comes before a fall. Normally pride goes hand in hand with arrogance and that is what we are seeing truckloads of in this House and particularly around the flag debate.Yesterday New Zealand First was asked whether we would give leave to allow the National-Green coalition—because that is what we are seeing play out right now; we are seeing the National Party coalescing with the Greens to put legislation on the floor of this House to change the New Zealand flag referendum so that they can get the Red Peak flag on to the ballot paper. Well if I go back into the third reading of the New Zealand Flag Referendums Bill and look at what Mr English the Deputy Prime Minister was saying he said: “Cabinet made a decision in October 2014 about the process and a budget”—a budget—“for this process.”This is a Government that bleats on about how fiscally prudent it is but no. Out of the blue pulling something from behind itself from that dark spot it suddenly finds more money to back a Green proposal to change the whole referendum process change the whole marketing change the whole ball game to run another option and that is despite the Deputy Prime Minister saying this: “The process stressed the independence of the flag consideration panel and the transparency of any decision making around it.” He also said in the third reading “Clearly we are heading out of those swirling political waters fortunately to the sunny uplands where New Zealand will get to decide” blah blah blah on the New Zealand flag.Then out of the blue National introduces what? It wants to introduce a flag that is actually the trademark of an American corporate. There it is—the Red Peak flag—Peak Engineering out of the United States. And what else is it? Well it is actually a symbol that was last seen in World War II—the Nazis had it on their sentry boxes. Give me a break. If there is one further insult that Mr Brownlee the Minister of Defence can serve up to the veterans of this nation it is to offer them up a Nazi logo on a Nazi sentry box as the national flag. You have got to be kidding me.We were asked coming into the Chamber whether New Zealand First was prepared to stand alone to be the only party in this House to oppose one the referendum; two the changing of the flag; and three the introduction of this Green Party - National Party Nazi flag. Well yes we are quite happy to be the only party to stand up in defence of the New Zealand flag the only party that will hold this Government accountable to its process—the legislation it rammed through the House and that it defended to the hilt in the third reading and told the nation was transparent and sacrosanct. This has become a farce. Worse it has become an absolute joke.Tim Macindoe: This is what New Zealanders voted for.RON MARK: New Zealand First for the record will say here today to Mr Tim what’s-his-name that we are opposed to a flag change. We are opposed to this jacked-up shonky referendum. We are opposed to this latest attempt to hijack and make an even more ridiculous referendum and we will be proud to stand as the only party to defend our flag. Thank you very much.