WELLINGTON, May 4 — Disgraced New Zealand businessman Ron Brierley has surrendered his knighthood after admitting to possessing child pornography, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s office said today.

Ardern moved to strip Brierley of the honour last month after the Sydney-based octogenarian pleaded guilty to possessing images of child abuse.

But Ardern’s office said he instead wrote to Queen Elizabeth II tendering his resignation as a knight.

"Ron Brierley may no longer use the title ‘sir’ and he has been asked to return his insignia,” a spokesman said in a statement.

Brierley, 83, was arrested at Sydney airport in December 2019, when police found large amounts of child pornography on his laptop and hard drives during a luggage search.

Brierley earned a reputation as one of Australasia’s most feared corporate raiders in the 1980s, turning his Brierley Investments into New Zealand’s largest listed company.

He was knighted for his services to business management in 1988. — AFP