The National govt., still in their just married phase, have announced that NZ is getting Knighthoods again. In the name of the Queen our worthies will once again be given the titles of Sir and Dame. These will replace the anaemic but functional titles we have had from 2000, Principal/Distinguished Companion of the Order of Merit.
Leaving aside all the reasons why this isn’t a decision I like (see NRT for that), it just strikes me as weird, an odd bit of electioneering when there’s no election coming up. There was no consultation, and no signal that this was coming – nothing I’ve noticed anyway. (My hazy memory is that Labour signalled its intentions to lose the old system a ways in advance, but I don’t remember any consultation then either. Anyone recall?)
Notably, the symbolism of this change sits uneasily with our view of ourselves. Is this the first time since WW2 that we’ve actually taken a step back closer to the Crown, rather than away from it towards our own identity?
I don’t get it. Is it a personal thing for Key, that he wanted to re-establish these symbolic ties with the Queen? What am I missing about this?
7 thoughts on “Sir John The Unexpected”
Comments are closed.
Not sure what the going backwards thing really contributes to the identy of NZ. But the new merits thing was a little wishy washy. They should have taken a more unique way of doing it incoporating the ethnic diverity of Nz in the merit system.
I’m not understanding why this decision was made, now. I can’t help but defaulting to my eternal cynic, and thinking that all of Key’s rich buddies have gone without being given knighthoods for nine years now, and so we he starts giving ’em the gongs on Queens Birthday he can give ’em a nifty sobriquet as well.
Now, the next month should be interesting with regards to National’s honeymoon period – when a large number of people check their payslips on their first pay on or after 1st April and realise they not only aren’t getting National’s much vaunted tax cut but are also, due to the increase in ACC Earners Levy, actually taking home less money than the pay day before.
Plug some figures into https://interact2.ird.govt.nz/forms/payecalculator/ to see for yourself…
It does seem astonishingly sudden. And I can’t kick the (possibly unworthy) feeling that the PM has a secret wish to be able to call himself Sir John Key at some point in the future.
I like it, but not for any political reasons(which I’m diametrically opposed to). I just like the titles better than the “NZ order of merit” stuff. Knighthoods are cooler, and make more sense in an “outside NZ” context. Is it going to be backdated though, or are we going to keep both titles until all the principal companions have died?
I don’t think it is particularly a step backwards. Sir or Dame has immediate recognition. Principal Officer of The New Zealand Order of Merit, is somewhat clunky and vague (what exactly IS a Principal Officer anyway?). Ideally a new honours system would incorporate both titles (can’t see a reason why it can’t). I always felt the dispensing of Sir/Dame was a change for changes sake.
Edit: For ‘Officer’ read ‘Companion’ which makes the title even vaguer. My mistake, its way past my bedtime…….
Immediate recognition….when I hear ‘Knight’ I have an soldier in armour on a horse in my mind….and as for Dame, well how delightfully ladylike is that? I might quite like being a dame.
What a load of crap. We never did have knights or ladies in NZ. They were passe even when NZ the treaty of Waitangi was signed. Or do we all just need this to somehow feel good? If there is a difference to you between made a knight or being made a companion, I’m not sure you are the type of person who deserves such a title in the first place.
What a load of crap.-