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National | Tour

Royal family visit proved beneficial for NZ

From Wellington, to Dunedin, to Christchurch, it was a long week of travelling for the Royal Family and today, they departed New Zealand.

This week Te Kāea followed Prince Williams, his wife Kate and their baby, George.

Not even the rain could stand in the way of one last pōwhiri for Wills and Kate.

On the final of leg of the tour, hundreds turned out on the streets of Wellington to catch one final glimpse. But the question remains as to who benefited most from this tour, the Royals or NZ?

There's no doubt, through the Royal visit, Māori culture was thrown into the worldwide spotlight.

Not everyone got it right, with CNN poking fun at things Māori. Though the reporter apologised, saying it was supposed to be a humorous story, many in fact took offence.

Ngāi Tahu says that the benefits remain to be seen, but the type of advertising garnered from the tour is priceless.

If much of the Nation didn't care about them before the trip, its obvious that opinions have probably changed towards the Monarchy as a whole.

So it looks as though it was a win-win situation for both the Royals and Māori from the events of the past week, but for now, Wills, Kate and George depart for Australia to spread the fruits of the Royal Tour.