Additional Statutes of The New Zealand Order of Merit

2009/90

Crest

Additional Statutes of The New Zealand Order of Merit

Elizabeth R

Royal Warrant

Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God Queen of New Zealand and Her Other Realms and Territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith, and Sovereign of The New Zealand Order of Merit, to all to whom these Presents shall come,

Greeting!

Whereas by a Warrant under the Seal of New Zealand dated 30 May 1996,1 We were pleased to institute and create a new Order of Chivalry styled and designated “The New Zealand Order of Merit” and did make, ordain, and establish Statutes for the governance of the same, reserving to Ourselves, Our Heirs and Successors, full power of annulling, altering, abrogating, augmenting, interpreting or dispensing with Our Warrant or any part thereof, by a notification under the Sign Manual of the Sovereign of the Order:

And whereas by a Warrant under the Seal of New Zealand dated 18 May 2000,2 We were pleased to make, ordain, and establish Additional Statutes altering the style of future Chancellors of the Order and, in certain respects, future membership of the first and second levels of the said New Zealand Order of Merit:

And whereas it is now desired to alter the membership of future members of the first and second levels of the Order so that they are designated Knights or Dames and are not subject to the alterations in Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000, and to enable members of those levels of the Order admitted on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant to elect to be redesignated as Knights or Dames:

We therefore, in pursuance and exercise of the power vested in Us, do hereby make, ordain, and establish the following Additional Statutes:

1 Members of first or second level of Order admitted on or after date of this Warrant

  • A person admitted into the first or second level of the Order on or after the date of this Warrant—

    • (a) shall be admitted in accordance with Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; and

    • (b) shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges of the membership in the Order, prescribed for a member of that level of the Order in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 as altered by this Warrant; but

    • (c) shall not be subject to any alteration in, or provision of, Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000.

2 Members of first or second level of Order admitted on or after 18 May 2000 and before date of this Warrant

  • A person admitted into the first or second level of the Order on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant—

    • (a) shall enjoy, or continue to enjoy, the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges of the membership in the Order, prescribed for a member of that level of the Order in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 as altered by Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000 and this Warrant; but

    • (b) may elect to be redesignated in accordance with clause 3 or 4 of this Warrant.

3 Redesignation of Principal Companions as Knights or Dames Grand Companions

  • (1) A person admitted into the first level, or as an Ordinary or Additional Principal Companion, of the Order on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant may elect to be redesignated as an Ordinary or Additional Knight or Dame Grand Companion of the Order as prescribed in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996.

    (2) A Principal Companion whom We have been pleased to redesignate as a Knight Grand Companion shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges, prescribed for a Knight Grand Companion in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 as altered by this Warrant, and in particular the following rights and privileges:

    • (a) eligibility, if he has not previously received it, to receive the accolade of Knighthood; and

    • (b) the privilege of adding the post nominal letters “G.N.Z.M.” after his name to denote his membership in the Order; and

    • (c) the right to use the appellation “Sir” before his forenames.

    (3) A Principal Companion whom We have been pleased to redesignate as a Dame Grand Companion shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges, prescribed for a Dame Grand Companion in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 as altered by this Warrant, and in particular the following rights and privileges:

    • (a) the privilege of adding the post nominal letters “G.N.Z.M.” after her name to denote her membership in the Order; and

    • (b) the right to use the appellation “Dame” before her forenames.

4 Redesignation of Distinguished Companions as Knights or Dames Companions

  • (1) A person admitted into the second level, or as an Ordinary or Additional Distinguished Companion, of the Order on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant may elect to be redesignated as an Ordinary or Additional Knight or Dame Companion of the Order as prescribed in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996.

    (2) A Distinguished Companion whom We have been pleased to redesignate as a Knight Companion shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges, prescribed for a Knight Companion in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996, and in particular the following rights and privileges:

    • (a) eligibility, if he has not previously received it, to receive the accolade of Knighthood; and

    • (b) the privilege of adding the post nominal letters “K.N.Z.M.” after his name to denote his membership in the Order; and

    • (c) the right to use the appellation “Sir” before his forenames.

    (3) A Distinguished Companion whom We have been pleased to redesignate as a Dame Companion shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges, prescribed for a Dame Companion in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996, and in particular the following rights and privileges:

    • (a) the privilege of adding the post nominal letters “D.N.Z.M.” after her name to denote her membership in the Order; and

    • (b) the right to use the appellation “Dame” before her forenames.

5 Procedure for redesignations

  • Redesignations in accordance with clause 3 or 4 of this Warrant, whether redesignations as a Knight or Dame Grand Companion or redesignations as a Knight or Dame Companion, shall be made by Us, by a warrant engrossed in English and issued under Our Sign Manual and the Seal of the Order.

6 Widows of Principal Companions or Distinguished Companions

  • (1) It shall be competent for Us to grant to the widow of a Principal Companion or Distinguished Companion the right, which she would have enjoyed had her late husband, before his death, been redesignated in accordance with clause 3 or 4 of this Warrant, to use before her surname while it remains the same as that of her late husband the courtesy title of “Lady”.

    (2) Grants of that kind shall be made by Us, by a warrant engrossed in English and issued under Our Sign Manual and the Seal of the Order.

7 Notifications in New Zealand Gazette

  • (1) The names of those persons whom We have been pleased to redesignate in accordance with clauses 3 and 4 of this Warrant as Ordinary or Additional Knights or Dames Grand Companions or Knights or Dames Companions shall be published in the New Zealand Gazette.

    (2) The names of those widows of deceased Principal Companions and Distinguished Companions to whom We have been pleased to grant in accordance with clause 6 of this Warrant the right to use the courtesy title of “Lady” shall be published in the New Zealand Gazette.

8 Precedence unaffected by redesignations

  • (1) A Principal Companion redesignated in accordance with clause 3 of this Warrant as a Knight or Dame Grand Companion shall take precedence in the Order according to the date of his or her initial appointment as a Principal Companion.

    (2) A Distinguished Companion redesignated in accordance with clause 4 of this Warrant as a Knight or Dame Companion shall take precedence in the Order according to the date of his or her initial appointment as a Distinguished Companion.

9 Style of Chancellor

  • (1) A Chancellor of the Order appointed on or after the date of this Warrant—

    • (a) shall be styled Chancellor and the Principal Knight or Dame Grand Companion of the Order as prescribed in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; and

    • (b) shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges of the membership in the Order, prescribed for a Chancellor of the Order in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; but

    • (c) shall not be subject to any alteration in, or provision of, Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000.

    (2) The Chancellor of the Order appointed on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant—

    • (a) shall enjoy, or continue to enjoy, the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges of the membership in the Order, prescribed for a Chancellor of the Order in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 as altered by Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000; but

    • (b) may elect to be redesignated as a Knight Grand Companion in accordance with clause 3 of this Warrant.

    (3) If and after We have been pleased to redesignate him as a Knight Grand Companion in accordance with clause 3 of this Warrant, the Chancellor of the Order appointed on or after 18 May 2000 and before the date of this Warrant—

    • (a) shall be styled Chancellor and the Principal Knight Grand Companion of the Order as prescribed in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; and

    • (b) shall enjoy the membership in the Order, and all the rights and privileges of the membership in the Order, prescribed for a Chancellor of the Order in Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; but

    • (c) shall not be subject to any alteration in, or provision of, Our Warrant dated 18 May 2000.

10 Additional methods of wearing insignia of members admitted to first level of Order

  • Knights and Dames Grand Companions, and Principal Companions, shall wear the Badge prescribed in clause 27(a) of Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996 either—

    • (a) suspended from the wide ribbon or sash passing over the right shoulder to the left side, as prescribed in clause 35(a) of Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996; or

    • (b) removed from the wide ribbon or sash and suspended from a ribbon either—

      • (i) worn around the neck; or

      • (ii) tied in a bow and worn on the left shoulder.

And it is Our Will and pleasure that these alterations, sealed with the Seal of the Order, shall be taken and received as part and parcel of Our Warrant dated 30 May 1996.

Given under the Seal of The New Zealand Order of Merit at Our Court of Saint James's, this 23rd day of March 2009, in the fifty-eighth year of Our Reign.


By Her Majesty's Command.

John Key,

Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Rebecca Kitteridge,

Secretary and Registrar of the New Zealand Order of Merit.

Issued under the authority of the Acts and Regulations Publication Act 1989.

Date of notification in Gazette: 16 April 2009.

This warrant is administered by the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

  • 1 SR 1996/205

  • 2 SR 2000/84