When God's Own last changed its flag in 1902 at least it was a step up from the one that'd been fluttering from our flagpoles since the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, the Union Jack.

Yep, we were a far flung colony and the flag was a constant reminder of that.
With the change at least the Jack was relegated to the top left hand corner of it, but it's still a reminder that we're the colony of a greater power.

The burning question is: Are we? The answer should be, that we're most definitely not.

We're a sovereign nation, one of the most multi cultural in the world. England is now longer the dominant force it once was. In fact it hasn't been for generations ever since our relatively young country grew up.

So today we've seen the four choices for a new flag, one of which will go up against the current one. Fantastically, none of them will include the Union Jack.

We've finally been given the chance to sever the apron strings of the Mother Country as England was often referred to by the RSA generation. And we're being given the chance to distinguish ourselves from the Aussies whose flag is so similar to ours that it's been mistakenly used for it on many occasions over the years.

It's not often that I find myself wholeheartedly concurring with Teflon John Key, but on this issue I do.

To change the flag is somehow seen as disrespectful to those who have fought under it through two World Wars and other outbreaks. It's not, few if any of our soldiers fought for the flag. They may have fought for the country, but the flag is just a symbol of it.

And besides, having travelled to war graves throughout Europe and Africa over the years, the fallen Kiwis haven't been laid to rest with a flag on their headstone, but there is a silver fern.

If you travel overseas and you see a tourist with a maple leaf on a backpack, there's no doubt where he or she's from. Canada changed its flag after prolonged and heated debate, got rid of the Union Jack way back in1965.

Ask any Canadian whether they'd like to go back and the answer's obvious.

A flag is a country's brand.

The current campaign's often been referred to by Key's opponents, most of whom are secretly in favour of change, as his personal vanity project. If that's truly the case, then who were the Prime Ministers during the only two flag changes we've had?

Few would be able to answer that, but Google can and it hasn't been done under a Prime Minister before.

There was a Governor, William Hobson, at the Treaty signing who changed it from the United Tribes Flag, and John Balance was the Premier in 1902 who partially did away with the Union Jack.