How fitting the New Year Honours feature newly-retired All Blacks from the 2015 Rugby World Cup-winning team, and that their captain receives the country's highest honour, the Order of New Zealand. Richie McCaw ONZ outranks the titled honour he was offered after the 2011 World Cup. His achievement in leading the team to a second successive Word Cup, unprecedented in the sport, eclipses even the previous victory, which was not, after all, New Zealand's first or the first at home. It is fitting he has been elevated a step higher than the knighthood he reportedly turned down last time.
The New Year's list includes four new knights or dames: Judge Sir Terence Arnold, veteran champion shearer, Sir David Fagan, film-maker Dame Jane Campion and businesswoman Dame Paula Rebstock, the Government's frequent appointee to social policy investigations. To cover the legal profession, sport, the wool industry, the cinema, business and public service in just four appointments is no mean feat. Many may have expected the New Year knights to include the All Black coach, as they did on the last day of 2011. But Sir Graham Henry had retired, and Steve Hansen is staying at the helm, though that does not seem a reason to withhold or refuse the honour. Hansen's complete absence from the list is rather a pity considering it includes not only the six retiring team members but two of Hansen's support staff, sports psychologist Gilbert Enoka and scrum coach Mike Cron. Both have given long service to successive Rugby World Cup teams and now receive due recognition. A former doctor to All Black teams, John Mayhew, also becomes an ONZM for services to more than one sport.
It is hard to look past the sporting names on this year's list, such as cricket's Stephen Boock, netball newly-retired national coach Waimarama Taumaunu and several lesser known figures. Many of them will have served in administrative roles, like Ross and Dawn Morrison whose service to tennis on the North Shore has been recognised.
But business philanthropy, through the likes of Christopher Liddell and Peter Masfen, health sciences, through Professor Max Abbott, education, through Auckland University's John Taylor, and many other fields of social service are also well represented, including journalism.
The Herald is particularly proud the work of its recently retired political editor, John Armstrong, has been recognised with the ONZM, along with broadcaster Bill Francis and Wellington journalist Chris Turver, who is also recognised for local government service.