New Zealand Royal Honours System

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Queen Elizabeth II wearing the sash and the star of the New Zealand Order of Merit, as well as the badges on her shoulder of the Order of New Zealand and the Queen's Service Order

The New Zealand Honours System is the system of Royal honours (orders, decorations and medals) which are awarded by the Queen of New Zealand to recognise achievements of, or service by, New Zealanders or others in connection with New Zealand. The British honours system was used until 1975. Since then a number of uniquely New Zealand honours have been introduced, and now only the dynastic British honours are retained. The system is administered by the Honours secretariat of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

1 History
2 Orders
3 Other honours
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] History

Royal honours were awarded in New Zealand from the very beginning of settlement in the mid 19th century. Governor George Grey received the first honour granted to a New Zealand resident, becoming a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath, in 1848 ^[1].

For more than a hundred years the British honours system was used for New Zealand. In 1975, after a review of the system, two uniquely New Zealand honours were integrated into it: the Queen's Service Order, and its affiliated Medal. In 1987, the Order of New Zealand was instituted as the supreme New Zealand honour. Finally, in 1995 – 1996, a further review of the system resulted in the termination of awards of almost all British honours and the creation of a new five-level New Zealand Order of Merit to replace them ^[2].

Knighthood or damehood was initially attached to the two highest levels of the New Zealand Order of Merit, but this was removed in 2000 when the statutes of the order were modified by the following government ^[2]. (All Knights and Dames created in this and other orders before 2000 may continue to use the titles "Sir" or "Dame" however.) Since the Order of New Zealand does not bestow knighthood, there is now no regular honour by which a New Zealand citizen can be made a knight or dame. However the 1996 overhaul of the honours system did not affect the dynastic honours, that is, the honours in the personal gift of the Queen, which are not awarded on ministerial advice ^[1] (such as the Order of the Garter, Order of Merit and the Royal Victorian Order). In principle New Zealanders can still attain knighthood by appointment to knightly grades of these orders.^[3] Recently there have been calls by some politicians to bring back knighthoods ^[4].

[edit] Orders

The Order of New Zealand is the highest civilian honour awarded by the Queen on the advice of the Government; in heraldic terms, it is a first-level honour. Next ranking is the five-level New Zealand Order of Merit. The Queen's Service Order is a fourth-level honour, while the Queen's Service Medal is a sixth-level honour. Both of the latter are awarded either "for Community Service" or "for Public Service".

In the reorganisation of the New Zealand honours system in 1996, the honours of the Order of the Bath, Order of St Michael and St George, Order of the British Empire, Order of the Companions of Honour and Knight Bachelor were replaced as follows (references to knights include dames):^[5]

First Level Honours:
- Present system:
  - Member of the Order of New Zealand (*)
  - Knight Grand Companion (before 2000) /Principal Companion (after 2000) of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- Previous system:
  - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath
  - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
  - Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire
  - Companion of Honour

Second Level Honours:
- Present system:
  - Knight Companion (before 2000) /Distinguished Companion (after 2000) of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
- Previous system:
  - Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
  - Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
  - Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire
  - Knight Bachelor

Third Level Honours:
- Present system:
  - Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit:
- Previous system:
  - Companion of the Order of the Bath
  - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George
  - Commander of the Order of the British Empire

Fourth Level Honours:
- Present system:
  - Queen's Service Order (*)
  - Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit
- Previous system:
  - Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Fifth Level Honours:
- Present system:
  - Member of the Order of New Zealand:
- Previous system:
  - Member of the Order of the British Empire

(*) denotes honours which were also awarded under the previous system.

[edit] Other honours

Other orders, decorations and medals which do not carry titles, but entitle the holder to place post nominals after his or her name.
The Most Venerable Order of St John of Jerusalem (founded 1888). Although it is an independent order of chivalry, though it is officially sanctioned by virtue of the fact that the Queen is the Sovereign of the Order. The Governor-General of New Zealand is the Prior in New Zealand. The members of this semi-official order can wear the Order's insignia, but do not receive any titles of Knighthood or use any post-nominal letters.

See: British honours system: Other honours and appointments

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b History of the New Zealand Honours System, accessed 22 July 2006
^ ^a ^b New Zealand Order of Merit, accessed 22 July 2006
^ Dynastic Honours at NZDF Medals, accessed 8 October 2006
^ Brash plans to bring back knighthoods, New Zealand Herald, retrieved 5 September 2005
Brash call for knighthoods 'living in past', Dominion Post, retrieved 5 September 2005
^ Press release of 2 May 1996 at the New Zealand Executive Government News Release Archive (govt.nz). Accessed 28 February 2006