Titles were abolished in 1999, but Prime Minister John Key announced in March they would be reinstated from July for the people made principal or distinguished companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit between 2000 and last year.

 

 

The new honours were approved by the Queen.

 

The titles will be formally bestowed at a ceremony at Old St Paul's in Wellington on August 14.

 

For Sir Peter, his first trip back to New Zealand for two years from his home in Dallas is set to be a special occasion.

 

Not only will he officially receive his title, he will also unveil a statue of himself at Cook's Gardens in Wanganui.

 

Speaking from Texas, Sir Peter - who won the 800 metres at the 1960 Olympics in Rome and the 800m and the 1500m four years later in Tokyo and was voted New Zealand's Sportsman of the 20th Century - described his knighthood as "pretty nice, actually".

 

He said: "I was a little cynical about it for a while."

 

"But in the end, solid, practical advice won out.

 

""My family said, 'Don't turn this down'."

 

Sir Peter, who also set world records for the 800m and mile, said that his previous "Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit" honour - while flattering - was a little meaningless.

 

He said: "At 70-plus, it's nice to be honoured in this way."

 

Also recognised is Russell Coutts, who won the America's Cup for New Zealand in 1995 and 2000 and returned to a hero's welcome, only to suffer the wrath of a nation when he left Team NZ to win the trophy for Switzerland's Alinghi in 2003.

 

Last month John Walker, the 1976 Olympic 1500m champion and former world mile record holder, was knighted by the Queen in her birthday honours list.