They can't vote in the flag referendum, but under 18s appear to have strong opinions on the flag.

Youth organisation Youthtown has been canvassing views of more than a thousand 13 to 17-year-olds who are for and against changing the flag.

The Soap Box: Satisfying to exercise democratic rights

Most support keeping the current flag or choosing another design in a future referendum.

Youthtown chief executive Paula Kearns said no matter what people thought, they were good at explaining their position.

"What it meant for their future, how significant it was to them and also what it meant for them around the cost of the whole referendum and what that money could have been spent on".

Kearns said many teenagers have strong opinions about issues like heritage and national identity.

"It definitely makes the case for young people's views to be considered when it's an issue of such significance to their lives and their futures".

Some comments from Youthtown’s Facebook Campaign (names removed)

• I'm 14. I would love to keep the current flag. Our soldiers fought and died under our flag. We as a country should say to keep the current flag and not change it.
  Our flag has a lot of history behind it. This generation and many generations before this have been born and raised under this flag. The new flag idea is the crapiest I have ever heard of. Millions being put into a new flag where all that money could be used to help the sick, the poor, to help to find a cure for cancer, to help in the disasters happening in the country.
• The only thing that should be changing is the Prime minister.
  Get someone whom is better than John Key, someone whom can actually look after our beautiful country.
• Our current flag.
  I care about our future and our past because our future is where my generation is going to have to take care of all the mistakes that YOU older generations have made.
  The flag was ours before Australia had theirs therefore should be recognised as the New Zealand flag first. People have fought for our country under our flag and have given their life's.
  Plus the new design looks like something a 5year old drew.
  There is nothing significant about the new flag design. The colours are not significant, the amount of leafs on the fern is not significant. The only thing relating to New Zealand is the fern
  #keeptheflag #Haveyoursay #OurFuture
• Old flag! There is so Much history behind this flag and we also did have it first.. 26 million dollars could help A LOT of people and it would change many lives, I understand that it is good to change but do we really NEED to. Use the money on something necessary like Christchurch or poverty or charities, the options are endless!
• I want the new flag! The silver fern represents New Zealand and is already used by our sports teams and on military uniforms. It says a lot about the beautiful nature of Aotearoa. The Union Jack says nothing except "we are a member of the commonwealth." The time has passed for being identified as a former member of an oppressive empire. As for the argument of soldiers, that's absolute nonsense! Yes they fought and died for our freedom, and for their country. If you asked a WWI soldier what they fought for, none of them would answer "for the flag." Gone are the days where "Queen and country" are reasons enough to fight so our flag shouldn't represent such oppression and skewed morals.
• Honestly, the original flag represents our nation's history and development, I don't understand why the new flag is considered necessary, nor do I understand why the government would place so much funding into a campaign that could have gone into another area in our country that really needs it.
• Old flag. People say that the silver fern represents new Zealand but really it's about sport and we are a country that has other things then sport on our minds, also spend the money on something else that's worth 26 million like poverty or something.
  I say the only thing we have to change is the prime minster
• The Flag referendum is a total stuff up, they rushed into the process to quickly and made bad design choices , now you can only pick from the current flag and a flag with looks exactly the same expect the union Jake is replaced with nz fern. They could have a least incorporated a kiwi in somewhere.
• The old flag , changing it is disrespectful to the people who died saving it ! The government has spent millions on this debate when they could have been spending it on the country instead of their own pride . We have done well enough to make a statement in this world without a different flag . Don't change it be respectful the new generation needs to know its own history !
• New flag so we dominate Australia with a better flag as well as a better rugby team
• New. We need change we r about representing future and history. So why the people that tried to stamp that out deserve to be on our flag I don't know
• Im 13 and all i ask is Why are we spending 25 million bucks on a flag when we still have people with no homes and poverty? all im saying is figure that out first
• If the new flag goes our Maori rights go, I'm a 14 year old Maori and I love this country, our ancestors fought for the flag and many many many generations lived under it and now it's our turn to live under it for our kids to live, plus John key doesint have to spent so much money on it there's much more important things to spend on.
• New flag yo. The Union Jack is a bad image for New Zealand. Compared to other countries, I think that the silver fern shows a little more cultural diversity and New Zealand's character. People be like "but the soldiers and veterans fought under the current flag" true, they did, but at the time I think they were a little more worried about fighting for their lives and cause rather than their flag. People also be complaining that the cost is too much. Well... first of all, let me tell you that the cost of changing the flag is mostly towards paying for the referendums. The government is paying the money to allow people to vote for a new flag, so even if you say no the money has already been spent. Furthermore, if you're against the flag change and you're voting 'no' then you are still participating in the expenditure of $27M simply by voting. Would you rather spend $27M to have something changed or left alone? Hmmmm I think I'll have it changed
• It creates a far more recognizable brand, we can sell things globally and instantly be seen as New Zealand, not Australia.
• Why shouldn't we vote we will be the ones here running NZ when all the 'important' people are dead or dying. We are literally NZ's future and yet we can't on our future flag. I know 5 year olds who are more mature than 18 year olds so don't you dare use that as an excuse. And aren't I living proof that children actually care. You can't undermine people just because they haven't lived as long. 
• My opinion is that we keep the flag. I was born under it and I hope I can die under it to in 70 ish years’ time just like all of the soldiers who died for us, showing great loyalty to our country. Why don't we return the favour
• New flag! The old flag shows no independence from the uk and looks too much like aussies one. We are an individual country and should be proud of it
• I like the new flag personally but I think our money could have been spent on better things like poverty and child abuse.26 million dollars gone already and they haven't even voted on a actual flag yet. 26 million could buy a lot of starving children food for life
• The new one, please. Thanks for noticing that youth should have a say seeing as they have to live with the new one for THE REST OF THEIR LIFE
• Na o matou tupuna I Pakanga atu mo to tatou nei haki, Mena Ka Tini taua haki Ka wehe Te mana o tatou Ngai Maori, he tamariki noiho matou engari e arohatia tatou Ki to tatou nei whenua, Ka whawhai matou mo to tatou nei whenua.
• The new flag. As a New Zealand representative I have always connected to the silver fern. The old flag does not represent our history, we do. Soldiers fought and died so we could have a voice and bring change for our country. They fought for New Zealand, not for a flag
• The Old flag is part of our heritage and history. I'm twelve and I wouldn't want they younger people of our future to grow up with a flag that holds no importance like the flag that we have now. All this money that is being spent in the referendum should go to the kids of our future, because they are dealing with more then we ever will. #leaveourflagalone
• Our normal flag that holds our history! Us 'youth' care about what the future holds and we'll be making it better.
• Keep the original
  Just because we are the youth doesn't mean that we can't vote on our future!!!! So what, we are under 18 doesn't mean that we don't have an opinion. Australia made their flag after we had ours so they should change their flag I know that sounds petty but get over it, it's the truth.
  This money could've gone towards something more useful like the unfortunate kids of New Zealand, cures, pretty much anything that would actually help New Zealand and profit it.
  What does a new flag do for us? How does it benefit us?
  I miss out on voting by one day and I couldn't be more pissed off in my life about it!
  I really hope the old flag wins so this whole thing comes back and bites John Key in the ass, so he realises he could've spent the money on something more productive.
• Current flag I don't get why we can't vote were the generation that has to live with it I'm 14
• I'm almost 15 and I believe I should be able to vote . I want to keep the current flag because it is the flag we have had for years people have died under that flag while fighting for our country that flag represents who we are the new flag means nothing
• Vote if we wanted the flag changed BEFORE they spent freaking $26 million on designs!
• I thinks kids should vote on this cause it is our future (12 and up) and we should keep the current flag!
• The new one, please. Thanks for noticing that youth should have a say seeing as they have to live with the new one for THE REST OF THEIR LIFE
• Shout out to Youthtown New Zealand for actually caring about what we have to say
• Youthtown New Zealand:
  Some of the only people to listen to the future generations of the world kia ora yourhtown NZ you're doing it right
• This would of been a smarter idea.
  Vote if we wanted the flag changed BEFORE they spent freaking $26 million on designs!
• I honestly hate them both. The union jack represents a New Zealand under the British Crown and the Silver Fern honestly just makes me think of our sports team and I couldn't care less about sport. There is more to New Zealand. (Plus it's butt ugly). As someone "who is the future of New Zealand", I believe we should become a Republic before we even consider a flag change, and not to mention our focus right now should be on bigger issues such as New Zealand's alarming child poverty rate, rather than what seems more like a logo change.
• I think we changing the flag would be a better idea if the new one had a good design.
• The Flag referendum is a total stuff up, they rushed into the process to quickly and made bad design choices , now you can only pick from the current flag and a flag with looks exactly the same expect the union Jake is replaced with nz fern. They could have a least incorporated a kiwi in somewhere.
• Neither they're both ugly