So the seemingly endless flag referendum is now over and Kiwis have decided to keep the current flag.
Much was made about the estimated $25.7 million cost of the referenda and how the money could have otherwise been spent.
In the wake of the last night's historic flag vote, it's pertinent to look back at where that money was spent and where else it could have gone.
Most of it, $17.3 million, was spent on the two binding referenda, while public consultation cost the taxpayer $6.7 million.
Of that, almost $800,000 was spent on the official flag change website, while around $200,000 went on the poorly-attended national roadshows.
There were also some additional costs to add the fifth alternative, Red Peak, to the first referendum and also to the promotional material, but that didn't need any extra money.
A 12-member independent panel was chosen to oversee the process and whittle down the final four alternative flags -- each member got $640 a day, while the chair of the committee, Professor John Burrows, banked $850 each day they actually worked.
The panel wouldn't talk about the advertising blitz surrounding the referendums, calling it commercially sensitive, but was "comparatively moderate" and "well within" the agreed budget.
Had the flag changed, it was estimated it would cost $2.7 million to replace flags on government buildings and facilities and Defence Force uniforms.
But regardless of which way the vote went, the New Zealand Transport Agency says it wouldn't cost them anything extra in printing drivers' licences.
The outcome doesn't affect New Zealand's Coat of Arms so police uniforms, passports and other items carrying the emblem.
With all that said, what else could that same money been spent on?
Well, for a start you could get 557 first-year primary school teachers, based on their starting salary of $46,117.
Or perhaps 519 newly graduated registered nurses or midwives who earn around $49,449 a year, according to the New Zealand Nurses Organisation.
What about 476 probationary police constables? You could hire that many on a base salary of $53,921, according to the police's own figures.
Or how about some more firefighters? You could get 638 trainees who earn a $40,250 base salary.
It could also make a small dent in the estimated $6-8 billion economic cost of child poverty, according to Unicef.
Feeling hungry? The entire population of New Zealand could get a Big Mac with a bit of change left for some fries, if they're willing to share, and also BYO soft drink.
Need a somewhere to live? $25.7 million can get you 30 three-bedroom houses in Auckland based on Barfoot & Thompson's January 2016 average sale prices.
Bored on a rainy day? You could see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 3D 1,331,606 times -- booking fees cost extra though.
If you wanted to take a break from all this flag talk, you could also buy 11,178 round-the-world plane tickets.
But what's the cost of democracy? Priceless.
Newshub.
