History

Royal honours were awarded in New Zealand from the very beginning of settlement. 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.

For more than a hundred years the unadulterated 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 (QSO) and Queen's Service Medal (QSM). In 1987, the Order of New Zealand (ONZ) was instituted as the supreme New Zealand honour. Finally, in 1995- 6, a further review of the system resulted in the termination of awards of almost all British honours and the creation of a multi-tiered New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) to replace them.

Locally awarded Knighthoods and Damehoods were initially retained in the upper tiers, but later discontinued after 2000, however, honours personally awarded by the Queen were not affected, thus New Zealanders are still eligible for membership in the Order of the Garter, Royal Victorian Order, and the Order of Merit—theoretically making Knighthood still possible in the New Zealand Honours System though future awards are unlikely.

The appellations "The Right Honourable" and "The Honourable" strictly are not honours but distinctions made to certain people due to King or Queen's trust in them (e g the saluation in official correspondence as the "right trusty and well–beloved cousin A.B.").

Orders

The Order of New Zealand is the highest locally awarded civilian honour in New Zealand; in heraldic terms, it is a first-level honour. Below it is the New Zealand Order of Merit, its position in the heraldic hierarchy is unclear. Below that lie the Queen's Service Order (a fourth-level honour) and the Queen's Service Medal (a sixth-level honour). Both of the latter are awarded either "for Community Service" or "for Public Service".

The Orders ranked by precedence, are as follows:

• Order of the Garter (founded 1348)
• Order of Merit (1902)
• Order of New Zealand (1987)—intended to be a local version of the Order of Merit and the Order of the Companions of Honour [1]
• New Zealand Order of Merit (1996)—intended to be a substitute for the Order of the British Empire
• Royal Victorian Order (1896)
• Order of the Companions of Honour (1917)—a quota of two New Zealand members
• Queen's Service Order (1975)—intended to be a substitute for the Imperial Service Order

NB: The Queen's Service Order also has an affiliated Medal

Holders of a KNZM, DNZM or GNZM were and remain entitled to use 'Sir' or 'Dame' as appropriate, and the wife of a KNZM or GNZM who uses her husband's surname is entitled to the courtesy title 'Lady'. With the institution of the DCNZM and PCNZM, no locally awarded honour now carries a title; those who hold honours from previous systems remain entitled to use their titles.

Other honours and appointments

• Other orders, decorations and medals which do not carry titles, but entitle the holder to place post nominals after his or her name. There are also a small number of Royal Family Orders.
• 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.

• Peerage, Baronetcy and Knighthood ("plain" knighthood or Knight Bachelor) have been all but discontinued in New Zealand. In the past numerous high-ranking New Zealand government figues (usually Governors-General) of both British and New Zealand extraction were awarded these distinctions, however since the 1970s they have been ignored.

See: British honours system: Other honours and appointments

See also

• British and Commonwealth orders and decorations
• State decoration

External link

• The Honours Secretariat of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.
• State decorations: gallantry and bravery awards; military campaign and commemorative medals.