New Zealanders of all persuasions will be now be looking at the long list of potential flag designs to see if any designs catch their eye. None of the flags feature the British flag although several feature either the Southern Cross or Matariki. Several use the same red, white and blue colours of the current flag.

In an open letter to the public the flag consideration panel has stated "A potential new flag should unmistakably be from New Zealand and celebrate us as a progressive, inclusive nation that is connected to its environment, and has a sense of its past and a vision for its future".

If we apply this same ethos to the Head of State discussion it is expresses many of the central tenets of our campaign. We need a New Zealander in the role. Someone clearly from, and of, New Zealand. The role needs to be inclusive. It must carry on the traditions of the past but look to the future.

That is why we want to use the role and office Governor-General as the basis for change. That is why we want a New Zealander and only a New Zealander in the role. We want an effective and democratic Head of State. One that works for all of us.

The flag debate is part of a widening discussion around New Zealand's national identity and sense of nationhood that now includes the national anthem, the flag and New Zealand's Head of State. For us the Head of State is the main prize but we also support a new flag if that is what New Zealanders decide. Time will tell if any of the 40 designs has what it takes to go the distance.