Flagging a ‘new’ New Zealand: the discursive construction of national identity in the Flag Consideration Project

ABSTRACT

New Zealanders were presented with the opportunity to change the national flag and opted to retain the current New Zealand flag, despite arguments that it was unable to reflect national identity adequately. This article unpacks the particular version of national identity constructed in discourse in the infographic, Our Nation. Your Choice. which was released prior to the final referendum that determined the outcome of the Flag Consideration Project. We used Fairclough’s (1992. [Discourse and social change. Cambridge, England: Polity Press]) critical discourse analysis to examine the discursive construction of national identity by the Flag Consideration Panel that oversaw the process. The authoritative assertion of national identity on behalf of New Zealanders emphasised inclusiveness and unity by acknowledging cultural diversity. Biculturalism was confined to an old understanding of New Zealand identity while the ideology of multiculturalism, not yet officially implemented, was positioned as common-sense. There was a focus on situating New Zealand in a global context to distance New Zealand from colonisation and connection to Britain. The positive, cohesive conceptualisation of New Zealand suggested that the Flag Consideration Project was, in fact, an exercise in re-positioning New Zealand in the global context, in which the national flag would represent the national brand rather than contribute to national identity.

KEYWORDS:

• National identity
• discourse
• national flag
• New Zealand
• national branding

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Taylor Annabell completed her Master of Communications Studies degree at Auckland University of Technology in 2016. She has taught media communication and creative industries papers for AUT’s School of Communication Studies.

Dr Angelique Nairn is a lecturer in Communication Studies at Auckland University of Technology where she specialises in teaching creative industries and media communication. Her research interests include organisational identity and identification, creative work and the business of creativity.