The Topp Twins are officially Dame Companions of the New Zealand Order of Merit for more than 30 years of services to entertainment.

The well-known musicians, entertainers and activists were honoured during a special all-women ceremony at Government House in Auckland to mark 125 years since New Zealand women won the right to vote.

As Jools Topp was receiving her medal, Lynda craned her neck around to the gathering of whanau and friends to joke "she's the oldest".

They then sang a waiata, with Jools ending it with "Kia kaha, be strong".

Other distinguished women also receiving honours include Kirsten Hellier, the former coach of Dame Valerie Adams and Jackie Clarke.

When their names appeared on the Queen's Birthday honours list in June, the pair briefly debated whether to accept the title.

"I said, 'Jools, what do you reckon?'" Lynda recalled. 'The rebels are getting their medals' she said'.

"It feels right to be acknowledged for all the fights we've fought. We're being acknowledged as entertainers but we've had a voice over all these years."

Born in Huntly in 1958 and raised on a dairy farm, the duo started by entertaining family and friends.

After a stint in the Territorials they busked in Auckland, attracting students and the queer community with harmonious political songs.

Crowds grew and soon they were travelling the country with backpacks and guitars as The Topp Twins.

Upfront about being lesbian, their country and western-inspired songs and comedy won a wide-ranging audience.

They sang at the frequent protest marches and public rallies of the early 1980s, writing and performing a song for every new cause.

Mainstream success came when an early stage show was filmed for an award-winning television special.

Their place in Kiwi culture was cemented with The Topp Twins: Do Not Adjust Your Twinset, which ran for three seasons from 1996.

A mix of documentary, comedy and musical, the show featured now legendary characters such as Ken & Ken, and Camp Leader and Camp Mother.

In 2000 Camp Leader and Camp Mother hosted quiz show Mr and Mrs, in which couples answered questions about how well they knew each other.

They returned to TV in 2014 with Topp Country, a culinary journey around New Zealand.

The show ran for three series, the second winning a Television Award for Best Entertainment Presenter — three decades after they won the same category for a Topp Twins special.

They've also released two albums and five best-selling children's audio books.

Being made Dames is the latest in a string of honours.

The Twins were made Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2004.

They were inducted into the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame in 2008, presented with the Rielly Comedy Award from the Variety Artists Club in 2009, given honorary master's degrees from Wintec in 2010 and awarded honorary doctorates from Waikato University in 2011.