Order of the British Empire (OBE)

This Order of the British Empire (OBE) was awarded to Peter Snell in Auckland in 1965 for his achievements at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 1964.

Sir Peter Snell (1938-2019) was one of the world’s greatest athletes in one of the world’s most admired sports - middle-distance running. In 2000 he was named New Zealand’s Sports Champion of the 20th Century. During his running career he won three Olympic gold medals (in the 800m event at Rome, 1960, and in the 800 and 1500m events at Tokyo, 1964), two British Empire and Commonwealth Games gold medals at Perth in 1962, and set six world records. Snell was a pupil of the master coach Arthur Lydiard who was responsible for the finest era in New Zealand athletics from 1951-66. In 2002 he was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sport, becoming Sir Peter in 2009.

Honours

From 1848 to 1975, New Zealand shared in the British-based honours system. The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire was established by King George V in June 1917 for services to the British Empire. The Order has five classes: Knight and Dame Grand Cross (GBE), Knight and Dame Commander (KBE / DBE), Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE), and Member (MBE). In 1996, the system was replaced with a New Zealand Royal Honours System with The New Zealand Order of Merit.