THE tino rangatiratanga flag has once again been given the thumbs-down from Manukau City councillors.
The council’s policy and activities committee discussed the issue out for about one-and-a-half hours at its meeting on Tuesday before voting nine to seven against a recommendation that the council should fly the flag at its offices on Waitangi Day.
Howick councillor Jami-Lee Ross says the tino rangatiratanga flag is not a symbol that represents Manukau City “and I’m dismayed that we have had this debate once again”.
In 2008, the council developed a flag policy which stated that only the New Zealand or the council’s flag would be flown, unless representatives of sister cities or overseas delegations were visiting.
At the time, the council’s Treaty of Waitangi committee voted against flying the flag.
But Mr Ross says treaty committee chairman Alf Filipaina (Mangere) and Mayor Len Brown were among those who supported the flag at this week’s meeting.
“The council has debated this twice before and we now we have debated it a third time,” Mr Ross told the Times.
“We are wasting time and money when a clear majority of councillors don’t want to see the flag on council flagpoles.”
Mr Ross, who is of Ngati Porou descent, says “the tino rangatiratanga flag is a flag of division, of racism and separatism. It has no place flying on council flagpoles”.
“Waitangi Day is our national day and we should be flying a flag that represents national pride and unity. The New Zealand flag represents all New Zealanders, both Maori and non-Maori alike.
The committee supported a recommendation put by Howick councillor Sharon Stewart that the council advocate to central government for a referendum to seek public opinion on which flags should be flown on Waitangi Day.
“I believe that the New Zealand flag is the only flag that should be flown on our national day, as the Maori flag encourages division,” she says.
Mr Ross says the move to fly the Maori sovereignty flag on civic flagpoles comes without any consultation with the city’s residents and ratepayers. This is despite the council taking three months to develop a flag policy in 2008.
“If the council wants to overturn its own flag policy, it should at least ask members of the community whether they approve of the change first. Given many Maori do not support the Maori sovereignty flag, I doubt many Manukau residents will either.”
