Lochore, Neill can't fathom why they've been honoured

Actor Sam Neill, who was made a Distinguished Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, is also unsure why he was singled out for recognition. "Who knows why they pick on you. For me, it is just a privilege to sit in the same room as ... (all these) remarkable people. I feel extremely humbled by all this." Neill, who received an OBE for services to acting in 1991, has been involved in more than 60 film and television productions, including Jurassic Park, Perfect Strangers and Reilly: Ace of Spies. His first feature film was Sleeping Dogs, in 1977, a time when acting wasn't thought to provide a respectable career path. "When I started in this it was a bit of a dubious thing to do. Now everybody wants to be an actor."