Opinion:
It's the little things.
Since the news broke on Friday of the death of Queen Elizabeth II, things across the United Kingdom, and indeed the world, have been changing.
Some of those changes have been immediate, from the words of the British National Anthem (God Save The Queen is now, of course, God Save The King) to Aotearoa New Zealand's top lawyers immediately changing from Queen's Counsel (QC) to King's Counsel (KC). Other changes, such as to images on coins and banknotes, will be slower and may take years to come through.
Whether the changes are immediate or long-term however, one thing is sure. The monarchy is very much part of our daily life, with a lot of it reflected in little details. From passports to oaths of allegiance sworn by elected councillors and MPs, from coins to military uniforms (the Queen's cypher appears on many military uniforms, including buttons in some cases), from stamps to the name of a public holiday, the Queen, through her image, name or cypher, has been intrinsically part of Aotearoa New Zealand life for a long time.