title: 1978 Special Honours (New Zealand)
text: # 1978 Special Honours (New Zealand)
  
  The 1978 Special Honours in New Zealand were two Special Honours Lists: in the first, dated 11 February 1978, two judges received knighthoods; and in the second, dated 20 April 1978, six people were awarded the Polar Medal, for good services as members of New Zealand expeditions to Antarctica in recent years.
  
  ## Order of the British Empire
  
  ### Knight Grand Cross (GBE)
  
  **Civil division**
  
  * The Honourable Ronald Keith Davison CMG – of Auckland; Chief Justice of New Zealand.
  * The Right Honourable Sir Herbert Richard Churton Wild KCMG ED – of Wellington; lately Chief Justice of New Zealand.
  
  ## Polar Medal
  
  * Major James Richard Milton Barker MBE RNZIR (Rtd) – of Christchurch; officer-in-charge, 1970–1972.
  * Peter John Barrett — of Wellington; geologist, 1974–1975.
  * Anthony Maurice Bromley — of Christchurch; meteorological observer and station leader, 1973–1974.
  * Jack Edward Hoffman — of Lower Hutt; driller, 1975–1976.
  * Malcolm Gordon Laird — of Christchurch; geologist and field leader, 1974–1975.
  * Alexander Thomas Wilson — of Hamilton; geochemist, 1974–1975.
  * Peter Barrett
  