Editing King's Service Order

{{short description|Order awarded by the monarch of New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{infobox order
| name             = King's Service Order<br />{{nobold|{{lang|mi|Te Tohu Whakanui Ratonga a te Kīngi}}}}
| image            = [[File:KSO badge with ribbon (crop).jpg|150px]]
| caption          = The badge of a Companion of the King's Service Order
| country          = New Zealand
| type             = 
| eligibility      =
| for              = 
|awarded_by        = the [[Monarch of New Zealand]]
| founder          = [[Elizabeth II]]
| head_title       = Sovereign Head
| head             = [[Charles III]]
| status           = 
| description      = 
| motto            = 
| established      = 13 March 1975
|post-nominals=QSO / KSO| first_induction  = 
| last_induction   = [[2025 New Year Honours (New Zealand)|31 December 2024]]
| total            = 226<ref>{{cite book |title=Medal Yearbook 2023 |year=2022 |publisher=[[Token Publishing|Token]] |location=Honiton, Devon |isbn=978-1-908828-63-7 |page=545 }}<!--|access-date=16 December 2022--></ref><!-- plus four awarded 2023 New Year Honours, one awarded 2024 New Year Honours, six awarded 2024 King's Birthday Honours -->
| precedence_label =
| individual       = 
| higher           = [[New Zealand Bravery Star]]
| same             = 
| lower            = [[New Zealand Order of Merit|Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit]]
| related          = [[King's Service Medal]]
| image2           = [[File:Ribbon bar of the Queen's Service Medal.svg|100px]]
| caption2         = Ribbon of the King's Service Order
}}

The '''King's Service Order''' ({{langx|mi|Te Tohu Whakanui Ratonga a te Kīngi}}<ref>https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2024/0051/latest/LMS944426.html</ref>) established by [[royal warrant (document)|royal warrant]] of [[Queen regnant|Queen]] [[Elizabeth II]] on 13 March 1975, is used to recognise "valuable voluntary service to the community or meritorious and faithful services to the Crown or similar services within the public sector, whether in elected or appointed office". This order was created after a review of [[Orders, decorations, and medals of New Zealand|New Zealand's honours system]] in 1974. The King's Service Order replaced the [[Imperial Service Order]] in New Zealand.<ref name=qso>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2021|title=The Queen's Service Order|url=https://dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/new-zealand-royal-honours-system/components-new-zealand-2|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2021-02-02|website=dpmc.govt.nz|language=en-NZ}} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]]  Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/  Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License].</ref>

The order was created as the '''Queen's Service Order''' ({{langx|mi|Te Tohu Whakanui Ratonga a te Kuini}}<ref>https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2007/0115/latest/whole.html</ref>) in 1975 and renamed in 2024. The original title of the Order recognised the fact that [[Queen Elizabeth II]] was the first [[New Zealand monarch]] to be officially titled ''Queen of New Zealand''.<ref name=qso/> On 3 May 2024, following the ascension of [[Charles III]] to the throne on the [[Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II|death of Elizabeth II]], the order was renamed the '''King's Service Order''' (KSO). The change in name will not apply retrospectively to previously awarded badges, or affect the associated [[post-nominals]] of the recipients.<ref name="dpmc-faq">{{cite web|title=New Zealand Royal Honours FAQs |url=https://www.dpmc.govt.nz/our-programmes/new-zealand-royal-honours/new-zealand-royal-honours-faqs |website=www.dpmc.govt.nz |date=2 June 2023 |publisher=Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet |access-date=24 December 2023}}</ref>

==History==

[[File:QSO composite-v2.jpg|thumb|The badge of a Companion of the Queen's Service Order from the reign of Elizabeth II]]

The King's Service Order (KSO), then known as the Queen's Service Order (QSO), was instituted by [[Warrant (law)#United Kingdom|royal warrant]] dated 13 March 1975 and in an amending royal warrant dated 15 October 1981, as a single fourth-level Order sub-divided into two divisions: "For Community Service" and "For Public Services". Instituted under the same royal warrant was an associated Medal of the Order, designated The Queen's Service Medal (QSM), which ranks as a sixth level honour and, like the Order, had the same two sub-divisions.<ref name=qso/>

The title of the Order recognised the fact that [[Queen Elizabeth II]] was the first New Zealand monarch to be officially titled ''Queen of New Zealand''.<ref name=qso/>

The Order and Medal arose out of the 1974–1975 review of the honours system at a time when only traditional British honours were available. It met the need for an honour to recognise voluntary service to the community and service through elected and appointed office. Both the Order and Medal are for civilians only and military service is not eligible.<ref name=qso/>

In 1995, the honours system was reviewed by the Prime Minister's Honours Advisory Committee. In its report, the Committee recommended that the Order and associated Medal be retained, but reconstituted without the sub-divisions should a new [[New Zealand Order of Merit]] be instituted. The New Zealand Order of Merit was subsequently instituted in 1996 and after 10 years of operation side by side, it was decided that the time had come to disestablish the two sub-divisions.<ref name=qso/>

In April 2007, The Queen signed a new royal warrant cancelling the 1975 and 1981 Warrants and instituting the Order and its associated Medal without sub-divisions. Also confirmed was the status of the Governor-General as both Principal Companion of the Order and as an "Additional Companion" in his or her own right.<ref name=qso/>

==Composition==

The monarch of New Zealand is the Sovereign Head of the order and those who are appointed as members are "Companions". Companions are classified into Ordinary, Extra, Additional, and Honorary members. Ordinary Companions are those being New Zealand citizens or citizens of Commonwealth realms. Ordinary membership is limited to 50 appointments per annum. Members of the Royal Family can be named "Extra Companions". Those citizens of countries not sharing the monarch of New Zealand as their head of state may be appointed as "Honorary Companions". "Additional Companions" may be appointed in honour of important royal, state or national occasions.

The Governor-General of New Zealand is an additional companion of the order in her own right and is also the order's "Principal Companion". Former Governors-General or their spouses, may  also be appointed as an "Additional Companion". The clerk of [[Executive Council of New Zealand|New Zealand's Executive Council]], or another person appointed by the Sovereign Head, is the “Secretary and Registrar” of the Order.

Companions are entitled to use the [[post-nominal letters]] "QSO". Before 2007, awards were distinguished between those made for "public" and "community service". Appointments to the order are made by [[royal warrant (document)|royal warrant]] under the monarch's [[royal sign-manual]] and countersigned by the Principal Companion or the Secretary and Register in his or her place. Appointments are announced in the ''[[New Zealand Gazette]]''.

==Insignia==

[[File:Queen Elizabeth II of New Zealand (cropped).jpg|thumb|Elizabeth II wearing the badge of the Queen's Service Order (middle) with, above it, the badge of the [[Order of New Zealand]], and the Grand Companion's riband and breast star of the [[New Zealand Order of Merit]].]]

The insignia of the order is a stylised [[Leptospermum scoparium|mānuka]] flower with five petals, which contains the effigy of the reigning monarch surrounded by a red circle inscribed ''FOR SERVICE — MŌ NGA MAHI NUI,'' crowned at the top. The ribbon has a traditional [[Māori people|Māori]] ''Poutama'' motif of black, white and red ochre ({{lang|mi|kōkōwai}}) diagonal 'steps' (signifying the growth of man, striving ever upwards)<ref>[http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Maori/Puawaitanga/Stories/#Poutama Stories of the Tukutuku patterns]</ref> in the centre with red ochre stripes along each edge of the ribbon.<ref name="warrant">{{cite web | url=https://www.legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/2024/0051/latest/LMS944426.html | title=The King's Service Order (SL 2024/51) Contents – New Zealand Legislation }}</ref> The insignia is worn on the left lapel of the coat for men or from a ribbon tied in a bow at the left shoulder for women. As with other ribbon-born medals, women wear the QSO in the male fashion when in uniform. Women have been known to wear it thus, even in civilian attire, such as [[Anne, Princess Royal]] in the otherwise male procession behind [[Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh|her father]]'s coffin. The [[Governor-General of New Zealand]] additionally wears the badge on a thin gold chain.

With the change in name from the Queen's Service Order to the King's Service Order the insignia of the order has been updated accordingly.<ref name="dpmc-faq"/>

Since the [[2024 Birthday Honours]], the postnominal letters "KSO" are now conferred.

==Medal==

There is also a related [[King's Service Medal]], which is a silver circular medal bearing the effigy of the reigning monarch on the obverse, and the [[Coat of Arms of New Zealand]] on the reverse. The ribbon or bow pattern is the same as the Queen's Service Order. The medal, before 2005, was also awarded for "public" and "community service".

==Important members and officers==

*'''Sovereign Head''': [[Charles III|His Majesty The King]] 
*'''Principal Companion''': The [[Governor-General of New Zealand|Governor-General]]
*'''Extra Companion''': [[Anne, Princess Royal|The Princess Royal]], [[Knight of the Order of the Garter|KG]], [[Knight Companion of the Order of the Thistle|KT]], [[Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order|GCVO]], [[Bailiff Grand Cross of the Order of St John|GCStJ]], [[Companion of the Queen's Service Order|QSO]], [[Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu|GCL]], [[Commander of the Order of Military Merit|CMM]], [[Canadian Forces' Decoration|CD]], [[Personal aide-de-camp|ADC]] (1990)
*'''Additional Companions'''
** [[Paul Reeves|Beverley, Lady Reeves]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|QSO}} (1990) – Former Viceregal Consort of New Zealand
** Dame [[Silvia Cartwright]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|ONZ|
PCNZM|DBE|QSO|DStJ}} (2006) – Former Governor-General of New Zealand
** Sir [[Anand Satyanand]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|GNZM|QSO|KStJ}} (2007) – Former Governor-General of New Zealand
** [[Susan Satyanand|Susan, Lady Satyanand]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|QSO}} (2011) – Former Viceregal Consort of New Zealand
** Lieutenant General Sir [[Jerry Mateparae]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|GNZM|QSO|KStJ}} (2011) – Former Governor-General of New Zealand and former [[Chief of Defence Force (New Zealand)|Chief of Defence Force]]
** [[Jerry Mateparae#Personal life|Janine, Lady Mateparae]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|QSO}} (2016) – Former Viceregal Consort of New Zealand
** Dame [[Patsy Reddy]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|GNZM|CVO|QSO|DStJ}} (2016) – Former Governor-General of New Zealand	
** Dame [[Cindy Kiro]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|GNZM|QSO|DStJ}} (2021) – Governor-General of New Zealand 
** Sir [[David Gascoigne]], {{postnominals|country=NZL|size=100%|sep=,|KNZM|CBE|QSO|CStJ}} (2021) – Former Viceregal Consort of New Zealand
*'''Secretary and Registrar''': [[Rachel Hayward (public servant)|Rachel Hayward]]<ref>{{cite news  |url=https://gazette.govt.nz/notice/id/2022-vr5321 |title=The Order of New Zealand / The New Zealand Order of Merit / The Queen's Service Order |date=6 December 2022 |work=[[New Zealand Gazette]] |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref>

==See also==

* [[British and Commonwealth orders and decorations]]
* [[New Zealand Honours System]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{subject bar|auto=y|d=y}}
* [http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/qso Official Site], has images of the various insignia.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070929093238/http://www.beehive.govt.nz/ViewDocument.aspx?DocumentID=29454 "Changes to QSO and QSM Honours affect Gov Gen"], New Zealand Government press release (21 May 2007).
* [http://legislation.govt.nz/regulation/public/1975/0200/latest/whole.html Statutes of the Queen's Service Order (SR 1975/200)] – legislation.govt.nz
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070624112501/http://dpmc.govt.nz/honours/overview/qso-warrant.html Warrant under the Order's seal] reconstituting the Order.

{{NZ Orders}}

[[Category:Civil awards and decorations of New Zealand]]
[[Category:Companions of the Queen's Service Order|*]]
[[Category:Orders of chivalry awarded to heads of state, consorts and sovereign family members]]
[[Category:1975 establishments in New Zealand]]