Mr Fleet7 is a koru member and seems to get great treatment. He's often upgraded, always given the space + seats, or the front of plane domestically. Priority luggage, priority check in etc. I was Gold Elite for a while and honestly it felt like he was better looked after than me - we were sitting in Y trans tasman once when I was *E and the Purser walked down the plane and offered him a newspaper and not me!! He told me to stop being such a woman!! The downside has already been mentioned - not great lounge access internationally.