22-422: Geoffrey Peter Murphy ONZM (12 October 1938 – 3 December 2018) was a New Zealand filmmaker, producer, director, and screenwriter best known for his work during the renaissance of New Zealand cinema that began in the second half of the 1970s. His second feature Goodbye Pork Pie (1981) was the first New Zealand film to win major commercial success on its soil. Murphy directed several Hollywood features during
44-403: A Dame Grand Companion, formally receiving investiture in 2024 from Prince William . Order of merit An order of merit is an honorific order that is conferred by a state , government , royal family , or other sovereign entity to an individual in recognition of military or civil merit. The historical background of the modern honours system of orders of merit may be traced to
66-470: A Knight Grand Companion himself) restored the honours to their pre-April 2000 state. Principal Companions and Distinguished Companions (85 people in total) were given the option to convert their awards into Knighthoods or Damehoods. The restoration was welcomed by Monarchy New Zealand . The option has been taken up by 72 of those affected, including rugby great Colin Meads . Former Labour MP Margaret Shields
88-473: A Knight or Dame Companion, and thus not to accept the respective appellation of "Sir" or "Dame". The majority of those affected chose the aforereferenced appellations. After initially declining redesignation in 2009, Vincent O'Sullivan and Sam Neill accepted the change in December 2021 and June 2022, respectively. A change to non-titular honours was a recommendation contained within the original report of
110-621: A schoolteacher. Murphy was a founding member of the hippy musical and theatrical co-operative Blerta , which toured New Zealand and Australia performing multi-media shows in the early 1970s. Blerta were later allowed to make their television series, spawning what is arguably Murphy's first feature film, the 75-minute-long Wild Man . Several Blerta members would work on Murphy's films, including drummer and Blerta founder Bruno Lawrence , who had starring roles in Utu and The Quiet Earth . Murphy made his name with road movie Goodbye Pork Pie (1981),
132-736: Is also a Secretary and Registrar (the Clerk of the Executive Council) and a Herald (the New Zealand Herald of Arms) of the Order. There also exist miniatures and lapel badges of the five levels of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Knight/Dames Grand Companion and Knight/Dames Companion are entitled to use the style Sir for males and Dame for females. The order's statutes grant heraldic privileges to members of
154-466: The 2013 Rialto Channel New Zealand Film Awards . The same year saw the release of a restored and re-edited version of possibly his most ambitious film, Utu , under the title Utu Redux . Murphy was appointed an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit , for services to film, in the 2014 New Year Honours . In the same year, he was awarded an honorary doctorate in literature by Massey University . Murphy died on 3 December 2018. Officer of
176-669: The ACT New Zealand party deriding the PCNZM's initials as standing for "a Politically Correct New Zealand that used to be a Monarchy". The issue of titular honours would appear whenever honours were mentioned. In the lead up to the 2005 general election , Leader of the Opposition Don Brash suggested that should a National-led government be elected, he would reverse Labour's changes and re-introduce knighthoods. In 2009, Prime Minister John Key (later to become
198-551: The 1990s Murphy had begun a decade working outside of New Zealand, mostly in the United States. In this period he directed films such as Young Guns II , Freejack , which featured Emilio Estevez and Mick Jagger , and Steven Seagal sequel Under Siege 2: Dark Territory . The latter proved his most successful film at the international box-office, grossing more than US$ 100 million worldwide. Murphy returned to New Zealand and assisted Peter Jackson on The Lord of
220-633: The 1990s, before returning to New Zealand as second-unit director on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy . Murphy was also a scriptwriter, special effects technician, schoolteacher and trumpet player at different times. He was married to Merata Mita , a film director, actor, writer. Murphy grew up in the Wellington suburb of Highbury, and attended St. Vincent de Paul School in Kelburn and St. Patrick's College, Wellington , before training and working as
242-649: The 1995 honours committee ( The New Zealand Royal Honours System: The Report of the Prime Minister’s Honours Advisory Committee ) which prompted the creation of the New Zealand Order of Merit. Titular honours were incorporated into the new system before its implementation in 1996 after the National Party caucus and public debate were split as to whether titles should be retained. There has long been debate in New Zealand regarding
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#1732802370080264-706: The Crown and people of New Zealand in a civil or military capacity. In the order of precedence , the New Zealand Order of Merit ranks immediately after the Order of New Zealand . Prior to 1996, New Zealanders received appointments to various British orders, such as the Order of the Bath , the Order of St Michael and St George , the Order of the British Empire , and the Order of the Companions of Honour , as well as
286-524: The New Zealand Order of Merit 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
308-611: The Rings films ; made a documentary film chronicling the Blerta phenomenon; and directed the thriller Spooked , featuring Cliff Curtis . In the later 2000s, he directed the New Zealand television comedy series Welcome to Paradise , worked on the remastered DVD release of Goodbye Pork Pie , and was 2nd-unit director on XXX: State of the Union . In 2013 Murphy was honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at
330-492: The appropriateness of titles. Some feel it is no longer appropriate as New Zealand has not been a colony since 1907, and to these people titles are out of step with present-day New Zealand. Others feel that titles carry both domestic and international recognition, and that awarded on the basis of merit they remain an appropriate recognition of excellence. In April 2000 the then new Labour Prime Minister, Helen Clark , announced that knighthoods and damehoods had been abolished and
352-531: The distinction of Knight Bachelor . The change came about after the Prime Minister's Honours Advisory Committee (1995) was created "to consider and present options and suggestions on the structure of a New Zealand Royal Honours System in New Zealand, which is designed to recognise meritorious service, gallantry and bravery and long service". The monarch of New Zealand is the Sovereign of the order and
374-616: The first New Zealand film to attract large-scale audiences in its home country. Made on a low budget, the film followed three people travelling from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, to growing infamy along the way. Murphy directed the film and co-produced it with Nigel Hutchinson . Murphy next directed the Māori Western Utu (1983) and the last-man-on-Earth piece The Quiet Earth (1985). By
396-603: The first and second level, who are entitled to have the Order's circlet ("a green circle, edged gold, and inscribed with the Motto of the Order in gold") surrounding their shield. Grand Companions are also entitled to heraldic supporters . The Chancellor is entitled to supporters and a representation of the Collar of the Order around his/her shield. The following contains the names of the small number of living Distinguished Companions (DCNZM) who chose not to convert their appointment to
418-445: The five levels, there are three different types of membership. Ordinary membership is limited to citizens of New Zealand or a Commonwealth realm . "Additional" members, appointed on special occasions, are not counted in the numerical limits. People who are not citizens of a Commonwealth realm are given "Honorary" membership; if they subsequently adopt citizenship of a Commonwealth realm they are eligible for Additional membership. There
440-508: The governor-general is its Chancellor. Appointments are made at five levels: From 2000 to 2009, the two highest levels of the Order were Principal Companion (PCNZM) and Distinguished Companion (DCNZM), without the appellation of "Sir" or "Dame". The number of Knights and Dames Grand Companion (and Principal Companions) is limited to 30 living people. Additionally, new appointments are limited to 15 Knights or Dames Companion, 40 Companions, 80 Officers and 140 Members per year. As well as
462-593: The order's statutes amended. From 2000 to 2009, the two highest levels of the Order were Principal Companion (PCNZM) and Distinguished Companion (DCNZM), without the appellation of "Sir" or "Dame"; appointment to all levels of the Order were recognised solely by the use of post-nominal letters. A National Business Review poll in February 2000 revealed that 54% of New Zealanders thought the titles should be scrapped. The Labour Government's April 2000 changes were criticised by opposition parties, with Richard Prebble of
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#1732802370080484-761: Was one of those who accepted a Damehood, despite receiving a letter from former Prime Minister Helen Clark "setting out why Labour had abolished the titles and saying she hoped she would not accept one". Clark's senior deputy, Michael Cullen , also accepted a knighthood. Appointments continued when Labour returned to government in 2017 as the Sixth Labour Government . The 2018 New Year Honours included seven knights and dames. The government did not comment on its position regarding knighthoods and damehoods, but Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern did specifically congratulate two women on becoming Dames Companion. On leaving office in 2023, Ardern accepted appointment as
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