Lisa Carrington officially receives her damehood as one of final few to get the honour in the Queen's name

New Zealand's most successful Olympian Lisa Carrington is officially a Dame!

The canoeist was awarded her honour at Government House yesterday, making her one of the final few to receive it in the Queen's name.

While the flag at Government House remains at half mast, Carrington said it felt special to be able to experience the full ceremony and to receive her badge and korowai with Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait still on the wall in front of her.

"It's really nice to be able to celebrate her in an official way ... To be able to do that is a huge privilege," she said.

Wāhine toa are not knighted but instead are ceremoniously cloaked in a korowai.

Taking to social media afterwards, the gold medalist posted a stunning photo of her from the ceremony.

Alongside the picture, she wrote: "Today was a very special day. I was awarded the Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit. A moment to remember the last decade of my career and a very special moment for my whanau and supporters. I wouldn't be here without them.

"It was also a chance to remember Queen Elizabeth II amazing service to Aotearoa."

Carrington became New Zealand's most decorated Olympian last year, overcoming a seemingly impossible schedule to win the sixth Olympic medal of her career at the Tokyo Games. 

Since the 2012 Olympics in London, Carrington has been involved in 29 per cent of the 17 gold medals achieved by this country.

The kayaker won gold in the K-1 200m in London (2012), Rio de Janeiro (2016) and Tokyo (2021), gold in the K-2 500m in Tokyo (2021), gold in the K-1 500m in Tokyo (2021) and bronze in the K-1 500m in Rio (2016).