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Sports administrator Therese Walsh has received a high honour for her work in organising two of the biggest sporting events hosted by New Zealand.

Walsh, 43, who was the Chief Operating Officer for the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and the head of the New Zealand organising committee for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, has been made a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to sports administration.

Walsh told Fairfax media "I was quite shocked. I was definitely shocked to get the letter.

"I obviously feel a lot of pride about how the Cricket World Cup has gone and it was off the back of the Rugby World Cup."

As head of New Zealand's 2015 Cricket World Cup campaign she successfully negotiated for New Zealand to have a significant number of the games - including a semi final held in Auckland, and ultimately won by the Black Caps over South Africa.

She also negotiated for the opening ceremony to be held in Christchurch after the city had lost it's ability to host Rugby World Cup games because of the 2011 earthquake.

Walsh said being part of the team that won the rights for the Rugby World Cup in 2011 "was probably the first big career highlight", adding “the second one was the end of the Cricket World Cup - the semi final and the win at Eden Park. I think that was a key milestone and that moment you knew it had been amazing.

"Those two moments stand out for me as being the biggest ones that I have experienced so far."

Walsh has contributed significantly outside of the sporting arena, too. She is the chairwoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's International Development Advisory and Selection Panel, is a member of the Major Events Investment Panel and sits on the boards of TVNZ, Westpac Stadium and NZX.

In a citation for her honour it said Walsh's ability to "manage large workloads, work effectively in high pressure situations and strong relationship skills are well regarded by her peers."

She was awarded Westpac's Women of Influence Supreme Award in 2013 in recognition of her impact beyond formal roles at a local, regional and national level.

Walsh said she had never considered herself eligible for such an honour, particularly so early in her career.

She concluded “I am 43 so I do still feel like I am not too old. I guess it wasn't my expectation to get something like this at this stage but I suppose it's an endorsement of what's been and you just hope that it's something that you can live up to in the future."

Walsh said she was still wrapping up the Cricket World Cup and sitting on the number of boards and would take the rest of the year to decide her next step.

1st June 2015 - CRICKET WORLD CUP ORGANISATION RECOGNISED IN QUEEN’S BIRTHDAY HONOURS LIST

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