Governor-General Anand Satyanand has been knighted, Prime Minister John Key has announced.
The Government announced on March 8 it was going to restore the titles of Knights and Dames to the New Zealand honours system and Mr Key said today the Queen had finished the formalities needed for the change.
He said the Queen had approved the redesignation of the Governor-General from a Principal Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit to a Knight Grand Companion of the Order, effective immediately.
"It is fitting that the Governor-General, as Chancellor of the New Zealand Order of Merit, has a titular honour," Mr Key said in a statement.
"I am also pleased that the Queen has given her formal approval to the changes I announced on March 8."
Mr Key said the Governor-General's new title and style would be His Excellency the Honourable Sir Anand Satyanand, GNZM, QSO.
The titles were dropped from the honours system in 2000 by the previous Labour government.
When he announced they were being reinstated, Mr Key said they were recognition of service to New Zealand.
New Zealanders who were awarded honours that previously carried a title have until June this year to decide whether they want to be knights or dames.
