New Zealand remains privileged by having the Union Jack on its flag and having the royals here for state visits, writes Murray Stott.
In view of the outstandingly successful recent royal tours by Prince Harry, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge with Prince George and, their rock-god receptions on both sides of the Tasman, republican polemicists may well be advised to go bush for a while.
And, any small talk of changing our national flag should wisely be put on the back burner.
The crazy idea of adopting a national flag sporting a silver fern on a black background presents reprographic problems with the potential for intellectual property actions and, causing brand equity dilution for sports teams; notwithstanding an undesirable association with the Jolly Roger or Islamic State terrorist flags.
The Kiwi juxtaposition with the Union Jack's ''cool'' Britannia sales machine delivers globally aspirational branding.
The monarchy has reinvented itself where an imagery of empathic normality is conveyed, negating tabloid perceptions of royal spongers and the likes.
The Queen volunteered to pay taxes on her private income and be subject to VAT and capital gains tax on her private properties since 1993; the Cambridges' new Bentley is on lease, along with their Range Rovers and Jaguars, which they share with Prince Harry.
The cost is being met by Prince Charles' produce business, Duchy of Cornwall. And with its turnover topping $NZ50 million a year, royalty can well afford providing such taxpayer savings.
On present royal tours, quiz-night Harry, charming William and his gorgeous Kate were pleasantly engaging with everyone they met while maintaining decorum without any traditional stuffiness.
During the Royal Tour, global media coverage delivered millions of media impressions for Kiwi products and travel destinations, equating to hundreds of millions of dollars in brand exposure.
A royal tour outstrips any recent major sporting events in generating more global media impressions, at a fraction of the cost.
There are more than 850 Royal Warrants issued by the Palace, representing a who's who of iconic luxury brand purveyors befitting heads of state.
And China's nouveau riche have an insatiable appetite for iconic brands with royal connection, from Bentley to Burberry et al.
And, whenever the Duchess steps out in a new ensemble it sells out the following day; as do her magazine covers.
Proof of royal sales power.
Many of us who make up the majority of our nation are rather proud of our British ancestry.
What's not to like about grandparent partiality enabling residency in London?
Our forefathers paid with their lives for our freedom to uphold the values of the British system, with all its faults, while fighting for ''king and country'' under our present flag.
The Union Jack is a powerful, and enduring marketing tool, from the Beatles, Mary Quant in the swinging 60s to the Sex Pistols, Spice Girls, and today's relaunched Mini.
BMW and VW coveted the British marques they now own and, market as imperial gems.
Commonwealth membership and knighthoods still open doors.
And although we sit on the Security Council, we wouldn't even be there unless watched over by a nuclear power and, commercially, we are only a subservient branch-office-state of equity-funded corporate Australia, which now owns and/or dominates our banking, insurance and media assets.
So much for who we are!
We, therefore, remain privileged by having the Union Jack on our flag and having the royals here for state visits, drawing cost-effective global focus on destination NZ.
And in terms of triple-bottom line, the eternal light the Duchess brought into the darkness of palliative care homes and, the degree of fantasy and hope her presence engendered in the young hearts of the terminally ill during her visit, was immeasurable, as the value proposition of lifting spirits transcends any economic cost-benefit analysis.
The Royals have again successfully played to the gallery via Prince Harry of Hearts, in demonstrating how Royal Cool Britannia is venerated today in Aotearoa, and why we should retain for now our present flag.
If it isn't broke, don't fix it, certainly not with a repair bill of $26 million.
• Murray Stott is a trademark agent and sponsorship broker.
