Following Prime Minister John Key’s decision that he would not revoke Sir Douglas Graham’s knighthood after his conviction for making false statements in a company prospectus I have had cause to reflect on the elevation receiving such a notable acknowledgement has on your personal brand and how this can all come tumbling down if you mistreat it in any way.
Graham received his knighthood for his leadership role in Treaty settlements and he was convicted of a strict liability offence, where dishonest or criminal intent was not required for conviction. In some nobleness Sir Graham indicated that he was considering giving up his knighthood before Key's decision not to strip the former justice minister of it.
I believe the knighthood should be about a statement of trust and confidence as well as strong success and contribution in the areas that it has been awarded.
It certainly is one of the highest accolades to be awarded by your country. The Order of Merit that I have in fashion, business and community certainly becomes a very strong attachment to my personal brand.
It is hugely disappointing to me when distinguished individuals, another being high-profile Tauranga businesswoman, Rae Beverley Adlam who helped iwi negotiate the purchase of geothermal assets. Last year Adlam pleaded guilty to 24 counts of knowingly filing false tax returns, nine of which related to income tax and GST returns filed in the name of Onepu Geothermal Energy Limited during the tax periods March 2002 to March 2006. She was convicted and discharged on the nine charges and ordered to pay $133,000 reparation. Adlam was made a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to business in the 2008 New Year's Honours List.
The difficulty will always be in the unknown background noise (if any) when awarding these honours.
I do however believe there will be circumstances to remove them as they simply are not a true representation of the person’s behaviours and success in the awarded fields. It is imperative in many cases to maintain the integrity of the awards that others have and will get.
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