The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have rendered meritorious service to the Crown and nation or who have become distinguished by their eminence, talents, contributions or other merits", to recognise outstanding service to the Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity.
Sir Stephen Robert Tindall is the founder of New Zealand retailer The Warehouse, The Warehouse Group, and the Tindall Foundation.
Sir David Alexander Fagan is a New Zealand sheep shearer, who has won the New Zealand Golden Shears contest a record 16 times.
Sir Peter David Gluckman is a New Zealand scientist. Originally trained as a paediatrician, he served as the inaugural Chief Science Advisor to the New Zealand Prime Minister from 2009 to 2018. He is a founding member and was inaugural chair of the International Network for Government Science Advice, and is president of the International Science Council.
Sir Peter Graham Siddell was a New Zealand artist.
Sir Donald Ward Beaven was a New Zealand medical researcher in the area of diabetes treatment and prevention.
Sir Mason Harold Durie is a New Zealand professor of Māori Studies and research academic at Massey University. He is known for his contributions to Māori health. In 2020, he was appointed to the Order of New Zealand, the highest honour in New Zealand's royal honours system.
Sir David Christopher Graham Skegg is a New Zealand epidemiologist and university administrator. He is an emeritus professor in the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Otago. He was the vice-chancellor of the university from 2004 to 2011 and president of the Royal Society of New Zealand from 2012 to 2015. His primary research interest is cancer epidemiology.
Sir Patrick Ledger Goodman, known as Pat Goodman or Sir Pat Goodman, was a prominent New Zealand businessman, arts patron and philanthropist. Along with his brother, Peter, he co-founded the Australasian food giant Goodman Fielder. He was CEO and chairman of the company.
Sir Peter Blanchard is a former judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand.
Dame Alcyion Cynthia Kiro ; née Simpson; born 1958) is a New Zealand public-health academic, administrator, and advocate, who has served as the 22nd governor-general of New Zealand since 21 October 2021. Kiro is the first Māori woman, the third person of Māori descent to hold the office.
Dame Ellen Adrienne Stewart, Lady Stewart is a New Zealand arts patron.
Sir Robert Arthur Owens was a New Zealand businessman and local politician. He served as mayor of both Tauranga and the nearby Mount Maunganui in the Bay of Plenty. He later moved from Mount Maunganui to Auckland. He was knighted in 1997.
Sir Richard Lewis Maxwell Faull is a New Zealand neuroscientist and academic who specialises in human neurodegenerative diseases. He is a professor of anatomy and director of the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.
Margaret Ellen Fairbairn-Dunlop is a Samoan-New Zealand academic. She is the first person in New Zealand to hold a chair in Pacific studies.
Sir Brian Joseph Roche is a New Zealand business executive.
Sir Herbert John Te Kauru Clarke is a New Zealand public servant.
Sir Robert Bartlett Elliott was a New Zealand medical researcher.
Dame Deirdre Glenna Milne is a New Zealand feminist active from the 1970s and a retired lawyer.
Sir Murray John Wells is a New Zealand businessman and sports administrator.
