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 The Order of Merit (french: link=no, Ordre du Mérite) is an order of merit for the Commonwealth realms, recognising distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, literature, or for the promotion of culture. Established in 1902 by K ...

and

Order of the Companions of Honour The Order of the Companions of Honour is an order of the Commonwealth realms. It was founded on 4 June 1917 by King George V as a reward for outstanding achievements. Founded on the same date as the Order of the British Empire, it is sometimes ...

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 and in 2022 for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. Honorary membership is for citizens of nations of which the Sovereign is not head of state. Members are entitled to the

post-nominal letters Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...

"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).

Insignia

Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand (cropped)

The insignia is made up of an oval medallion of the

coat of arms of New Zealand The coat of arms of New Zealand ( mi, Te Tohu Pakanga o Aotearoa) is the heraldic symbol representing the South Pacific island country of New Zealand. Its design reflects New Zealand's history as a bicultural nation, with a European female figur ...

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 * Officers: ** Secretary and Registrar:

Rachel Hayward Rachel Hayward (born August 7, 1968) is a Canadian actress. She began pursuing a serious acting career in her early twenties. As a child and teen, Hayward was involved in modeling and commercials but always thought she would become a doctor. S ...

Deceased members

Notes

References

External links

Buckingham Palace page on the Order of New Zealand

at New Zealand Defence Force

The statutes of the Order can be found as SR 1987/67 of New Zealand regulations. {{DEFAULTSORT:Order Of New Zealand Civil awards and decorations of New Zealand * New Zealand, Order Of