Hayden Paddon
Kiwi rally star Hayden Paddon has come out in support of changing the New Zealand flag.
The 28-year-old explained his position in a Facebook
post today, saying he wanted to avoid confusion with Australia on the
world stage.
"I'm all for a New Zealand flag change," he wrote.
"On our adventures we are often mistaken for our
West Island cousins, and even just last week there were occurrences
where our flags got mixed up. A new flag would give our country a clear
identity worldwide, which everyone would reap awards from for
generations to come.
"Of course there are always two sides to arguments and I'm no politician."
His comments come after incidents mistaking the
Australian flag for New Zealand's at Rally Sweden, where Paddon finished
second, and other flag mistakes at several World Rally Championship
locations.
Paddon, from Canterbury, said the
mishaps highlighted both the two countries' closeness and the general
confusion over the flags.
"We have people point to the New Zealand flag on our car and say Australia," he said.
He said it wasn't uncommon in Europe to have the Australian flag flying at events, rather than the New Zealand flag.
When Paddon finished second in Sardinia last year, organisers accidentally pulled out an Australian flag at the winning podium.
"I
would like a flag that is easily identifiable as ours," said Paddon. "A
flag is a logo if you like, that can be identified as ours, and you can
get huge benefits from it."
Newshub
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