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The Order of New Zealand

The Order of New Zealand (ONZ)

Overview

Established by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 1987, the Order of New Zealand is the highest honour in the country. It is awarded to individuals who have provided exceptional service to the people of New Zealand, whether in a civil or military capacity.

The Order of New Zealand is a single-class Order restricted to 20 living Ordinary Members, however, Additional and Honorary Members may also be appointed.

Members of the Order are entitled to use the post-nominal ONZ after their names.

Description

The badge of the Order consists of an oval medallion in gold and coloured enamels, bearing in the centre the New Zealand Coat of Arms within a Kôwhaiwhai rafter pattern. It is worn suspended from a ribbon around the neck or from a ribbon tied in a bow and worn on the left shoulder.

The ribbon is ochre (kôkôwai) with a narrow white stripe towards either edge. 

Members of this Order may wear a lapel badge on those occasions it is inappropriate to wear the full-size badge. It must not exceed 18 mm by 12 mm in size, and shall consist of a small reproduction of the full-size badge.

The badge must be returned to the Crown on the holder's death or if the holder ceases to be a member of the Order, so that it can be passed to another appointee to the order.

Eligibility

Individuals who have rendered outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand, and whose names have been put forward to the Crown by the Prime Minister of New Zealand. For full details:

The Statutes of the Order of New Zealand(external link)

Recipients

Since the Order was established in 1987, 69 Members have been appointed (46 as Ordinary, 21 as Additional, and two as Honorary). The Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet maintains a list of recipients of the Order of New Zealand. For more details:

See the up to date list of recipients(external link)

Queries & requests

  • Wearing this honour

    The Order of New Zealand is worn with Orders of Chivalry and Other Orders in the New Zealand Order of Wear. 

    For more information on how to wear and care for honours, medals, and awards:

  • Nominating someone for this honour

    Current serving NZDF personnel may complete an MD592 and submit the form through Single Service chains of command.  Self-nominations will not be accepted.  

    Nominations for ex-serving personnel or civilians may be made by completing a nomination form and forwarding it to the Honours Unit of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. In-depth guidelines for making a nomination and the nomination form are available for download on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

    For guidelines and documentation to make a nomination see:

    Guide to Nominations for a New Zealand honour(external link)

  • Checking if this honour was awarded

    Honours, medals, and awards bestowed on an individual for service in the New Zealand Armed Forces are recorded in their individual service record.  NZDF Personnel Archives and Medals holds a collection of about 1.5 million service records relating to 420,000 New Zealand service personnel who served in New Zealand’s Military Forces after the First World War.

    Service records are not currently digitised, but we can locate it and find the information you might be looking for or help you book a time for you to see the records in Trentham by filling form on the Service Record page. 

    Request a service record, statement of service or general information