John Key backs the inclusion of Red Peak in the Flag Referendum.

The public will get to vote on the Red Peak flag - after the Government agreed to pick up a Greens bill.

Political wrangling over the alternative flag design is finally at end.

NZ First has blocked a parliamentary move by Greens MP Gareth Hughes to add Aaron Dustin's popular design to the ballot.

SUPPLIED The Red Peak flag designed by Aaron Dustin

But Prime Minister John Key said the Government will "probably" pick up the new bill.

The House will go into extraordinary urgency to get it passed on Wednesday, before November's referendum.

The Government could either substitute Red Peak for one of the four designs chosen by the Flag Consideration Panel, which Key had earlier ruled out, or it can change the law to add a fifth flag to the ballot.

ROBERT KITCHIN/Stuff.co.nz People on the streets of Wellington have their say on the Red Peak flag design being accepted as the 5th flag choice.

Ahead of Question Time, Key told reporters: "I want the widest parliamentary support...if NZ First block it then in all probability the Government would pick it up...I think it will have to be passed this afternoon. I mean it will have to be pretty quick."

He would prefer the Greens remained the legislation's sponsor: "NZ First should just let them do it."

Key is known to favour a silver fern design. He said: "Doesn't matter. It's not about me. It's not my favourite but it doesn't matter. I'm one vote."

1 of 6 ALOFI KANTER Alofi Kanter's black and white fern design was announced as the first finalist. 2 of 6 KYLE LOCKWOOD Kyle Lockwood's red, white and blue design has made the final cut. 3 of 6 KYLE LOCKWOOD A second design from Kyle Lockwood has made the final cut. 4 of 6 Andrew Fyfe's koru flag was the third to be announced. 5 of 6 MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ Deputy Prime Minister Bill English kicks off proceedings at the unveiling of the final four flag designs. 6 of 6 MONIQUE FORD/FAIRFAX NZ There's a fair bit of media interest at the unveiling of the final four flag designs at Te Papa.

He also took a swipe at Labour, who he said had "hopelessly failed."

"The Greens have showed some leadership...we've been waiting for Labour. They will continue to want to play games...the Greens are really trying to say to Labour 'stop being pathetic'."

It's likely Labour will try to amend the legislation to include a yes/no question on changing the flag.

The Greens have struck a deal with National that they would vote down this move.

Labour leader Andrew Little said Kiwis are "disillusioned" with the lack of choice around the flag referendum.

"In the end this is a process that has become so flawed, handled in such a shambolic fashion, all of the responsibility of which sits at John Key's feet."

'RESEMBLES NAZI SENTRY BOX'

The Red Peak flag design looks like the detail on a WWII Nazi sentry box, NZ First says.

NZ First won't support the bid to add the flag to the referendum, in part because they say Red Peak looks like a design that was painted onto the military posts that Nazi soldiers used during WWII.



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The party has uncovered pictures of the sentry boxes - which they say New Zealand prisoners of war would have faced every day.



Deputy leader Ron Mark, an ex-soldier, said: "We've jumped from an ISIS lookalike flag to a design used by Nazi-Germany in WW2. How offensive is that to veterans? It's going from farcical to ridiculous. We don't want a bar of it."





The photos show the flag design on a sentry box preserved at the Domain Ravesijde museum near Oostende, Belgium. Another is exhibited at the National Army Museum, Waiouru.





An image, supplied by NZ First, of the sentry boxes NZ First says are similar to the Red Peak design (Picture: eBay)

It is not the first time Red Peak has been compared to something else, with the flag looking strikingly similar to the logo of North Carolina's Peak Engineering.

Mark said NZ First is opposed to a flag change and the "gerry-mandered process that's been put in place."

"The process has now been further manipulated...if there had've been a campaign for the kiwi laser there would have been tens of thousands in support - probably as a protest. How do the public view it? A gross waste of their money."

GREEN BILL BLOCKED

Earlier, Green Party MP Gareth Hughes said: "My bill is about giving New Zealanders a choice following the groundswell of support for the Red Peak flag to be included as an option in the upcoming flag referendum.

"Regardless of whether MPs want to change the flag or not, the referendum is going to go ahead anyway so it may as well include an option that a large number of Kiwis want.

"While there are clearly problems with the way the referendum has been handled, we also don't think politics should get in the way of what people really want, which is more of a choice."

Hughes confirmed there will be no other demands about the referendum.

"We won't be supporting any changes other parties may put up to this Bill. We want to keep it simple and allow the opportunity for Red Peak to be included without re-litigating the whole referendum process."

Key had earlier said he would add the Aaron Dustin design with cross-party support.

Labour would only agree if the Government added the question: "Should New Zealand keep its current flag, or change to another flag" to the first of two votes.

Labour leader Andrew Little asked to meet with Key, but his offer was declined.

It was a clever move for the Greens, who were on the wrong side of public opinion over opening bars for early morning Rugby World Cup games.

FLAG REFERENDUM TIMELINE

January 2014: John Key proposes a flag referendum. Initially he suggests it be held at the same time as the election that year. In March that is changed to sometime during the term starting after the election.



October 2014: In the month after the election, the Cabinet of the National-lead government agrees on the details of two flag referendums - one in late 2015 to choose a preferred alternative, then the second in 2016 to choose between the preferred design and the current flag.

November 2014: A cross-party committee of MPs is set up to nominate people to be on a Flag Consideration Panel. NZ First chooses not to be involved.

February 2015: The Government appoints 12 New Zealanders to the Flag Consideration Panel. Its jobs are to engage with the public on a possible flag change, invite New Zealanders to send in designs, and shortlist designs for the first postal referendum.

August 2015: The panel announces an official long list of 40 designs from among the 10,292 proposed designs it received.

September 2015: A short list of four designs - three with silver ferns and one with a koru - is announced.

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