The King's Service Order (KSO; ) established by royal warrant of 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 New Zealand's honours system in 1974. The King's Service Order replaced the Imperial Service Order in New Zealand.

The order was created as the Queen's Service Order () 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.

History

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 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. in the centre with red ochre stripes along each edge of the ribbon. 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 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.

See also

  • British and Commonwealth orders and decorations
  • New Zealand Honours System

References

  • Official Site, has images of the various insignia.
  • "Changes to QSO and QSM Honours affect Gov Gen", New Zealand Government press release (21 May 2007).
  • Statutes of the Queen's Service Order (SR 1975/200) – legislation.govt.nz
  • Warrant under the Order's seal reconstituting the Order.