| 1967 | Lord Ballantrae KT GCMG GCVO DSO OBE |
| 1968 | Pei Te Hurinui Jones |
| 1969 | Sir Arthur de Terrotte Nevill KBE CB |
| 1971 | Donald Wilfred Arcus |
| 1971 | Denis Rogers OBE |
| 1971 | Richard Bristowe Waddington |
| 1979 | Dame Te Atairangikaahu ONZ DBE |
| 1979 | Frank Maine Bateson OBE |
| 1980 | Jack Stanford Allan MNZM |
| 1982 | Henry Rongomau Bennett CBE QSO |
| 1983 | Henare Tuwhangai QSM |
| 1984 | Sir Ross Malcolm Jansen KBE |
| 1985 | Sir Donald Rees Llewellyn KNZM CBE |
| 1986 | Dame Phyllis Myra Guthardt DBE |
| 1986 | Dorothy Jessie Stafford OBE |
| 1986 | Dame Rangimārie Hetet DBE |
| 1987 | The Hon Sir David Lance Tompkins KNZM |
| 1990 | Norman William Kingsbury CNZM |
| 1992 | Janet Frame ONZ CBE |
| 1992 | Edwin George Morgan |
| 1993 | Dame Mary Josephine Drayton DNZM MBE |
| 1993 | Donald Murray Stafford CBE |
| 1994 | The Hon Dame Silvia Rose Cartwright PCNZM DBE QSO |
| 1994 | The Hon Sir Edward Taihakurei Junior Durie KNZM |
| 1994 | Dame Malvina Lorraine Major ONZ GNZM DBE |
| 1994 | Waea Mauriohooho |
| 1994 | Charlotte Rachel Anwyl Wallace OBE |
| 1995 | Elizabeth Ursula Alley |
| 1995 | Wilfred Gordon Malcolm CBE |
| 1995 | Jeanette King |
| 1995 | Huirangi Eruera Waikerepuru |
| 1996 | Dame Kiri Te Kanawa ONZ DBE AC |
| 1996 | Dame Katerina Te Heikoko Mataira DNZM |
| 1997 | The Hon Sir Peter Tapsell KNZM MBE |
| 1997 | Hiko Hohepa |
| 1997 | The Rt Rev Manuhuia Augustus Bennett ONZ CMG |
| 1998 | Kevin Roberts CNZM |
| 1998 | Paul Woodford Day |
| 1999 | Sir Douglas Arthur Montrose Graham KNZM |
| 1999 | Koro Tainui Wetere CBE |
| 1999 | Gerald David Gibb Bailey QSO |
| 2001 | Neil Finn OBE |
| 2001 | Tim Finn OBE |
| 2002 | Ida Margaret Gaskin CNZM |
| 2002 | Michael King OBE |
| 2002 | Michael MacRae Hanna |
| 2002 | Hirini Melbourne ONZM |
| 2003 | Tui Adams |
| 2004 | The Hon Margaret Anne Wilson DCNZM |
| 2004 | David Gordon Edgar QSO |
| 2004 | Caroline Bennett QSO |
| 2004 | Apirana Tūāhae Mahuika |
| 2004 | Hare Wakakaraka Puke |
| 2005 | James Te Wharehuia Milroy CNZM QSO |
| 2005 | Margaret Mahy ONZ |
| 2006 | Kenneth Owen Arvidson |
| 2006 | Jeffrey Alexander Jones |
| 2006 | Sir Howard Leslie Morrison OBE |
| 2006 | Bryan Charles Gould CNZM |
| 2006 | Sir Edmund Percival Hillary KG ONZ KB |
| 2007 | Diggeress Rangituatahi Te Kanawa CNZM QSO |
| 2008 | Brian Richard Perry OBE |
| 2008 | John Allan Gallagher CNZM KStJ JP |
| 2008 | Sir William Murray Gallagher KNZM MBE |
| 2008 | Rudolf Hendrik Kleinpaste |
| 2008 | Sir Tīmoti Samuel Kāretu KNZM QSO |
| 2008 | Tessa Duder OBE |
| 2009 | Heni Materoa Sunderland |
| 2009 | Zena Daysh CNZM |
| 2009 | Peter Godfrey Scott Sergel MNZM |
| 2009 | Peter Godfrey Scott Sergel MNZM |
| 2009 | Sir Wilson James Whineray KNZM OBE |
| 2009 | Dame Lynley Stuart Dodd DNZM |
| 2010 | Max Martin Gibbs |
| 2010 | Margaret Bedggood Mulgan QSO |
| 2010 | Roka Pahewa Paora QSM |
| 2010 | Jon Mayson CNZM |
| 2011 | James Judd |
| 2011 | Catherine Moana Dewes ONZM |
| 2011 | Dame Jools Topp DNZM |
| 2011 | Dame Lynda Topp DNZM |
| 2012 | Campbell Smith MNZM |
| 2012 | Roger Hill |
| 2013 | Gordon Keith Stephenson CNZM |
| 2013 | Bernard Thomas Crosby ONZM |
| 2013 | Dame Susan Elizabeth Anne Devoy DNZM CBE |
| 2013 | Sir Patrick Hogan KNZM CBE |
| 2014 | Warren Scotter |
| 2014 | Sir Dryden Spring |
| 2015 | Richard William Tonks MNZM |
| 2015 | Morehu Ngatoko Rahipere MNZM |
| 2016 | Robert (Roy) James Crawford CNZM |
| 2016 | Archbishop Sir David John Moxon KNZM |
| 2016 | Emeritus Bishop Denis George Browne CNZM |
| 2016 | Kīngi Tuheitia |
| 2017 | Charles Hines Daugherty ONZM FRSNZ |
| 2017 | Ian George Jowett |
| 2017 | Maxwell Harold Gimblett ONZM |
| 2017 | The Rt Hon Helen Elizabeth Clark ONZ |
| 2019 | Derek Arana Te Ahi Lardelli ONZM |
| 2019 | The Rt Hon James Brendan Bolger ONZ |
| 2020 | Lisa Feldman Barrett |
| 2021 | Paul Hunt |
| 2021 | Sir Harawira Tiri Gardiner KNZM |
2024
| Sir Paul Adams KNZM |
2024
| The Hon Te Ururoa James William Ben Flavell |
2024
| Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO KStJ |
2024
| Lady Tureiti Haromi Moxon |