A Coronet may be more accessible to NZ groups and provide greater opportunity for additional pageantry, local awards and recognition, but there are fears that a Principality would mean less interaction from Crown (and Australians in general), fewer local Crown events and reduced Kiwi entries into Crown Tournaments.
The question of interaction is of greatest concern (there’s nothing to stop Kiwis hosting or entering Crown events just because we’re in a Principality, and it might even boost participation). But will having a local Coronet lead to feeling of greater separation from the Kingdom as a whole, with reduced interaction from the Crown and Australians in general?
That’s likely to vary a lot, partly on who is Crown and Their interests or availability, partly on our ability to continue to produce events that Crown/Australians want/need to come to.
Viscount Duncan Kerr (former Prince of Insulae Draconis, ex-SG) said he thought Insulae Draconis had a closer relationship to their Crown for having gone Principality 10 years ago, and also more interest and involvement from the wider populace of the Kingdom of Drachenwald as a result.
So the enhanced status and capability provided by Insulae Draconis (the UK, Ireland and Iceland) being a Principality generated more interest from the rest of their Kingdom (Europe, Scandinavia, South Africa), not less. We could well find the same, especially if we develop a national strategy to counter such disengagement.
For some people the prospect of having more Royal courts under a Principality was itself seen as a negative, to which came the response: not having this available doesn't actually affect your enjoyment of the game because you can choose not to attend Court. For those of us who do like it, its absence does impact our enjoyment.
One of the things we need to think about and possibly research is how do groups manage having local Crowns/Coronets – it’s not something we’ve ever had to contend with and could well have a major impact on our groups. With only four major groups we are likely to have a semi-continuous Royal presence and this has implications for how the Baronies function (eg separation of Royal and Baronial courts, implications of precedence etc); also how Cantons and Shires function in terms of recognition of the Coronet. Discussion of expectations and management before we get there will be helpful to identify any concerns, develop strategies, find ways of relieving pressure points etc.