Taranaki born and bred rugby player Conrad Smith, was "very humbled" as well as surprised to be told he was to be made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the New Years Honours List.
"I certainly never expected to receive such an award from playing rugby," he says.
Speaking from his new home in Pau, on the northern edge of the Pyrenees in France, the former All Black says he is "pretty good at keeping secrets," so only told his wife Leanne before the honour was announced on New Year's Eve.
Conrad comes from a family of sporting greats. His uncle and great uncle were both All Blacks in their time, and his brother Nathan, a pharmacist at Mackays Pharmacy in Stratford, is a Paralympian.
Despite his illustrious family, Conrad says he never felt any pressure to match their successes, although his passion was certainly fuelled when he saw Uncle Alan's All Black jerseys he kept in the attic.