Order of New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Order of New Zealand
Badge of a Member of the Order of New Zealand (neck ribbon and bow)
Awarded by the Monarch of New Zealand
Type	Order
Eligibility	Subjects of the Crown
Awarded for	Outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity
Status	Currently constituted
Founder	Elizabeth II
Sovereign	Charles III
Grades	Member (ONZ)
Statistics
First induction	6 February 1987
Last induction	5 June 2023
Total inductees	46 ordinary members 21 additional members 2 honorary members
Precedence
Next (higher)	Order of Merit
Next (lower)	New Zealand Order of Merit
Ribbon of the Order of New Zealand

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 British 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

Elizabeth II wearing the insignia of the Sovereign of the Order of New Zealand (the bow on her shoulder)

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 ONZ CH DBE AC		17 June 1995	80	Opera singer
2	Jim Bolger ONZ PC		31 December 1997	89	Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
3	Sir Lloyd Geering ONZ GNZM CBE		30 December 2006	106	Theologian
4	Sir Kenneth Keith ONZ KBE KC PC		4 June 2007	87	Judge of International Court of Justice
5	Sir Don McKinnon ONZ GCVO PC		31 December 2007	85	Former Commonwealth Secretary-General
6	Helen Clark ONZ SSI PC		31 December 2009	74	Former Prime Minister of New Zealand
7	Sir Bob Charles ONZ KNZM CBE		31 December 2010	88	Golfer
8	Albert Wendt ONZ CNZM		3 June 2013	85	Writer
9	Sir Ron Carter ONZ KNZM		2 June 2014	89	Businessman
10	Sir Peter Gluckman ONZ KNZM		1 June 2015	75	Scientist
11	Richie McCaw ONZ		31 December 2015	43	Rugby union player
12	Joy Cowley ONZ DCNZM OBE		30 December 2017	88	Writer
13	Sir Mason Durie ONZ KNZM		31 December 2020	85	Psychiatrist
14	Dame Anne Salmond ONZ DBE		31 December 2020	79	Historian
15	Vacant
16	Vacant
17	Vacant
18	Vacant
19	Vacant
20	Vacant
Additional members
1	Michael Duffy ONZ		6 February 1990	86	Former Attorney-General of Australia
2	C. K. Stead ONZ CBE		6 February 2007	92	Writer
3	Dame Margaret Bazley ONZ DNZM		4 June 2012	86	Public servant
4	Sir Peter Jackson ONZ KNZM		4 June 2012	63	Film director
5	Dame Malvina Major ONZ GNZM DBE		4 June 2012	81	Opera singer
6	Dame Silvia Cartwright ONZ PCNZM DBE QSO DStJ		6 June 2022	81	Jurist and former governor-general
7	Sir Tipene O'Regan ONZ		6 June 2022	85	Māori leader
8	Queen Camilla LG LT ONZ GCVO GBE PC		5 June 2023	77	Queen of New Zealand
Honorary members
1	Sir Shridath Ramphal ONZ OE GCMG OCC AC KC		6 February 1990	96	Former Commonwealth Secretary-General

• Officers:
  • Secretary and Registrar: Rachel Hayward

Deceased members

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