OPINION: When he was offered the Order of Merit, which is awfully posh and a gift of the Queen, playwright George Bernard Shaw said: “Merit in authorship could only be determined by the posthumous verdict of history.”

And when punk rocker David Bowie – jokingly referred to as “Dame David” by Smash Hits magazine – was nominated first for a CBE and then a knighthood, he turned them both down, presumably on the grounds that it was a reinvention too far for his chameleonic career.

Predictably, and based on his Republican convictions, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has wasted no time in scrapping the awarding of knighthoods. This is a noble act. Australians are still questioning why Peter Cosgrove, Angus Houston and Quentin Bryce were honoured by the Abbott Government. Not to mention Prince Phillip, despite claims the Queen requested it.

Turnbull said that the honours system was “a long way from being the most important issue in Australia today. Knights and dames are titles that are really anachronistic, not appropriate in 2015,” he said.

Yet, across the ditch and the country we cannot beat at rugby, knighthoods are in high demand. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is considering knighting All Blacks captain Richie McCaw following their back-to-back World Cup victories. If he does become Sir Richie, he’ll be joining a list of other former All Blacks greats who have accepted the honour.

But there is one Kiwi who has questioned awarding knighthoods based purely on their sporting prowess.  Squash world champion Dame Susan Devoy said in a New Zealand Herald report that individuals should not be knighted for sporting achievements alone.

“I would like to think that [my knighthood] was for some other contribution than my sporting one, otherwise it seems a bit shallow.  If it's just for sport, you haven't made a difference in the world.

“There's no rhyme or reason for [giving out knighthoods]. But I think a lot of sportspeople might feel like I did: How do you compare with someone who split the atom, who's done extraordinary things?"

This puts the issue into context. Numerous sportsmen and women have been knighted for their sporting achievements, despite earning millions. Yet, we should be looking to the leaders of society when awarding these honours: finding a cure for cancer; doing work on the ground to assist African nations; leading philanthropic initiatives to alleviate poverty and homelessness; assisting burns victims following blasts such as the Bali bombings.

Just as we are saying here that these awards have been cheapened, and Australia has rightly ditched them, some may even agree with actor, comedian John Cleese who said the honour was “silly” after he had been nominated for a life peerage and a CBE.

“I don’t require an honour to tell me I’m a marvellous person. I’m quite happy to be unimportant, unhonoured and just get on with life. If others need help in that direction, I pity them,” he said.