# 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 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 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 | 76 | Scientist |
| 11 | Richie McCaw ONZ | | 31 December 2015 | 44 | Rugby union player |
| 12 | Joy Cowley ONZ DCNZM OBE | | 30 December 2017 | 88 | Writer |
| 13 | Sir Mason Durie ONZ KNZM | | 31 December 2020 | 86 | Psychiatrist |
| 14 | Dame Anne Salmond ONZ DBE | | 31 December 2020 | 79 | Historian |
| 15 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 16 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 17 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 18 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 19 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant |
| 20 | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | Vacant | 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 | 87 | Public servant |
| 4 | Sir Peter Jackson ONZ KNZM | | 4 June 2012 | 63 | Film director |
| 5 | Dame Malvina Major ONZ GNZM DBE | | 4 June 2012 | 82 | 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 | 86 | Māori leader |
| 8 | Queen Camilla LG LT ONZ GCVO GBE CD PC | | 5 June 2023 | 77 | Queen of New Zealand |
* Officers:
** Secretary and Registrar: Rachel Hayward

## Deceased members

| | Name | 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 | Sir Shridath Ramphal ONZ OE GCMG OCC AC KC | 6 February 1990 | 30 August 2024 | Commonwealth Secretary-General |
| 2 | Bill Pickering ONZ KBE | 2 June 2003 | 15 March 2004 | Rocket scientist |