The Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the New Zealand royal honours system, created "to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity". It was instituted by royal warrant on 6 February 1987. The order is modelled on the Order of Merit and the Order of the Companions of Honour.

Composition The order comprises the Sovereign and ordinary, additional and honorary members. The ordinary membership is limited to 20 living members, and at any time there may be fewer than 20. Additional members may be appointed to commemorate important royal, state or national occasions, and such appointments were made in 1990 for the 150th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi, in 2002 for the Queen's Golden Jubilee, in 2007 for the 20th anniversary of the institution of the Order, in 2012 for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee, in 2022 for the Queen's Platinum Jubilee, and in 2023 to mark the coronation of King Charles III. Additional members have the same status as ordinary members. Honorary membership is for citizens of nations of which the Sovereign is not head of state. Members are entitled to the post-nominal letters "ONZ".

Appointments to the order are made by royal warrant under the monarch's sign manual on the prime minister's advice. The order is administered by a Secretary and Registrar (the Clerk of the Executive Council).

Richie McCaw represented the Order at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla in 2023, and took part in the procession of the King and Queen at the beginning of the ceremony.

Insignia The insignia is made up of an oval medallion of the coat of arms of New Zealand in gold and coloured enamel, worn on a white and ochre ribbon around the neck for men or a bow for women on their left shoulder.

Current members Sovereign: The King of New Zealand

Name Portrait Date of appointment Age Known for Ordinary members 1 Dame Kiri Te Kanawa 17 June 1995 Opera singer 2 Sir Lloyd Geering 30 December 2006 Theologian 3 Sir Don McKinnon 31 December 2007 Former Commonwealth Secretary-General 4 Helen Clark 31 December 2009 Former Prime Minister of New Zealand 5 Sir Bob Charles 31 December 2010 Golfer 6 Albert Wendt 3 June 2013 Writer 7 Sir Ron Carter 2 June 2014 Businessman 8 Sir Peter Gluckman 1 June 2015 Scientist 9 Richie McCaw 31 December 2015 Rugby union player 10 Joy Cowley 30 December 2017 Writer 11 Sir Mason Durie 31 December 2020 Psychiatrist 12 Dame Anne Salmond 31 December 2020 Historian 13 Vacant 14 Vacant 15 Vacant 16 Vacant 17 Vacant 18 Vacant 19 Vacant 20 Vacant Additional members 1 Michael Duffy 6 February 1990 Former Attorney-General of Australia 2 C. K. Stead 6 February 2007 Writer 3 Dame Margaret Bazley 4 June 2012 Public servant 4 Sir Peter Jackson 4 June 2012 Film director 5 Dame Malvina Major 4 June 2012 Opera singer 6 Dame Silvia Cartwright 6 June 2022 Jurist and former governor-general 7 Sir Tipene O'Regan 6 June 2022 Māori leader 8 Queen Camilla 5 June 2023 Consort of Charles III, King of New Zealand

Officers: Secretary and Registrar: Rachel Hayward

Deceased members Name Portrait Date of appointment Date of death Known forOrdinary members 1 Sir Arnold Nordmeyer 6 February 1987 2 February 1989 Minister of Finance 2 C. E. Beeby 6 February 1987 10 March 1998 Educationalist 3 Dame Te Atairangikaahu 6 February 1987 15 August 2006 Māori Queen (Kīngitanga) 4 Sir Edmund Hillary 6 February 1987 11 January 2008 First official ascent of Mount Everest 5 Sonja Davies 6 February 1987 12 June 2005 Trade union leader and politician 6 Jim Knox 6 February 1988 1 December 1991 Trade union leader 7 Frederick Turnovsky 6 February 1988 12 December 1994 Manufacturer and arts leader 8 Richard Matthews 6 February 1988 19 February 1995 Microbiologist 9 Douglas Lilburn 6 February 1988 6 June 2001 Composer 10 June, Lady Blundell 6 February 1988 31 October 2012 Viceregal consort 11 Manuhuia Bennett 6 February 1989 20 December 2001 Anglican bishop 12 Henry Lang 6 February 1989 17 April 1997 Economist 13 Dame Whina Cooper 15 June 1991 26 March 1994 Māori leader 14 Jack Somerville 15 June 1991 5 October 1999 Presbyterian leader 15 Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan 6 February 1993 20 July 2011 Politician 16 Margaret Mahy 6 February 1993 23 July 2012 Children's author 17 Dame Miriam Dell 6 February 1993 22 March 2022 Women's welfare 18 Sir Thaddeus McCarthy 6 February 1994 11 April 2001 President of the Court of Appeal 19 Sir Roy McKenzie 17 June 1995 1 September 2007 Philanthropist 20 Sir Miles Warren 17 June 1995 9 August 2022 Architect 21 Sir James Fletcher 2 June 1997 29 August 2007 Industrialist 22 Ivan Lichter 2 June 1997 15 June 2009 Surgeon 23 Jim Bolger 31 December 1997 15 October 2025 Prime Minister 24 Cliff Whiting 31 December 1998 16 July 2017 Artist 25 Ken Douglas 31 December 1998 14 September 2022 Trade union leader 26 Mike Moore 31 December 1999 2 February 2020 Prime Minister 27 Tom Williams 5 June 2000 22 December 2023 Emeritus Catholic Archbishop of Wellington 28 Alan MacDiarmid 31 December 2001 7 February 2007 Chemist, Nobel laureate 29 David Lange 2 June 2003 13 August 2005 Prime Minister 30 Jonathan Hunt 31 December 2004 8 March 2024 Speaker of the House of Representatives 31 Dame Doreen Blumhardt 30 December 2006 17 October 2009 Ceramicist 32 Sir Kenneth Keith 4 June 2007 13 May 2026 Jurist and legal scholar 33 Sir Murray Halberg 2 June 2008 30 November 2022 Olympic runner 34 Ralph Hotere 31 December 2011 24 February 2013 ArtistAdditional members 1 Sir Guy Powles 6 February 1990 24 October 1994 Public servant and diplomat 2 Allen Curnow 6 February 1990 23 September 2001 Poet 3 Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother 6 February 1990 30 March 2002 Mother of Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand 4 Janet Frame 6 February 1990 29 January 2004 Author 5 Arthur Lydiard 6 February 1990 11 December 2004 Athletics coach 6 Dame Ann Ballin 3 June 2002 2 September 2003 Psychologist 7 The Lord Cooke of Thorndon 3 June 2002 30 August 2006 Jurist 8 Sir Hugh Kāwharu 3 June 2002 19 September 2006 Māori leader 9 Dame Catherine Tizard 3 June 2002 31 October 2021 Governor-General of New Zealand 10 Sir Paul Reeves 6 February 2007 14 August 2011 Anglican bishop and governor-general 11 Sir Owen Woodhouse 6 February 2007 15 April 2014 Jurist 12 Sir Brian Lochore 6 February 2007 3 August 2019 Rugby union player and coach 13 The Duke of Edinburgh 4 June 2012 9 April 2021 Consort of Elizabeth II, Queen of New ZealandHonorary members 1 Sir Shridath Ramphal 6 February 1990 30 August 2024 Commonwealth Secretary-General 2 Bill Pickering 2 June 2003 15 March 2004 Rocket scientist

Notes

References

External links

New Zealand Legislation. The statutes of the Order can be found as SR 1987/67 of New Zealand regulations.