Jerry Mateparae

His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jerry Mateparae GNZM QSO
20th Governor-General of New Zealand
Incumbent
Assumed office 31 August 2011
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	John Key
Preceded by	Anand Satyanand
Personal details
Born	14 November 1954 (1954-11-14) (age 57)[1] Wanganui, New Zealand
Spouse(s)	Janine Grenside
Alma mater	Officer Cadet School, Portsea British Staff College Australian Joint Service Staff College Royal College of Defence Studies University of Waikato
Profession	Soldier
Military service
Allegiance	New Zealand
Service/branch	New Zealand Army
Years of service	1972–2011[2]
Rank	Lieutenant General
Commands	First Battalion Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment
Battles/wars	Operation Bel Isi Operation Warden
Awards	Knight Grand Companion of the Order of Merit Queen's Service Order

Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah "Jerry" Mateparae, GNZM, QSO (born 14 November 1954) is New Zealand's 20th Governor-General. He was Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force between 2006 and 2011, the first Māori person to hold the office, and the Director of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau from 7 February 2011 until 1 July 2011.^[3] His appointment as Governor-General was announced on 8 March 2011 and he took office on 31 August 2011.^[4]

Personal life

Jerry Mateparae was born to the Andrews family in Wanganui. He was given to his mother's brother, a Mateparae, to raise in the Māori customary adoption known as whāngai.^[5] His birth father and his adoptive father were both ministers in the Ratana Church.^[6] He is descended from the Ngāti Tūwharetoa^[7] and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes and also has links to Tūhoe and tribes in the upper Whanganui.^[1] He was raised in the Whanganui suburb of Castlecliff and attended Castlecliff Primary School, Rutherford Intermediate School and Wanganui High School. He has three children with his first wife Raewynne, who died in 1990, and two children with his second wife Janine.^[5]

Career

Mateparae enlisted as a private in the Regular Force of the New Zealand Army in June 1972. In December 1976, he graduated from the Officer Cadet School Portsea in Australia. He served in both battalions of the Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment and in the New Zealand Special Air Service.^[1] He was a platoon commander in Singapore in 1979.^[8]

He had two operational postings to peace support missions, one 12-month tour of duty with the United Nations Truce Supervisory Organisation (UNTSO) as the Chief Observer in Southern Lebanon from May 1994 to May 1995, and commanding the combined-force Truce Monitoring Group on Bougainville during Operation Belisi in 1998.^[3] On 24 December 1999, he was promoted to brigadier, in the post of Land Component Commander, Joint Forces New Zealand.^[8] From December 1999 to July 2001, he was the Joint Commander for New Zealand forces attached to the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor.^[3]

In February 2002, Mateparae was promoted to major-general and became the Chief of General Staff.^[9] The title was changed in mid-2002 to Chief of Army. On 1 May 2006 he was promoted to lieutenant-general and took up appointment as the Chief of Defence Force, New Zealand's senior uniformed military appointment, which he held until 24 January 2011.^[1]

On 26 August 2010, Prime Minister John Key announced the appointment of Mateparae as Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB). Mateparae was appointed for a five-year term commencing on 7 February 2011 but stepped down from the role on 1 July 2011.

Governor-General of New Zealand

Mateparae with Key at the ceremony at which he was sworn in as Governor-General

On 8 March 2011, Prime Minister John Key announced the recommendation of Mateparae as the next Governor-General of New Zealand.^[10] The Queen of New Zealand made the appointment later that day.^[11] On 31 August 2011 he was sworn in as the Governor-General for a five-year term.^[12]

On 20 May 2011, Mateparae was appointed an Additional Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and as an Additional Companion of the Queen's Service Order.^[13] He became Chancellor and Principal Knight Grand Commander of that order and Principal Companion of the Queen's Service Order upon taking office as Governor-General,^[14] making him "His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO".^[15]

Medals and awards

Mateparae has a Master of Arts with First Class Honours degree in International Relations and Strategic Studies from the University of Waikato, and received a Distinguished Alumni Award from Waikato in 2008.^[16] He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.^[17]

He was made an Additional Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the January 1999 New Year’s Honours,^[18] for his service in Bougainville. In May 2011 the Singapore government awarded him the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) – Distinguished Service Order (Military).^[19] In June 2011 he was awarded Knight of Justice of the Order of St John in regards to him become Prior of the Order of St John in New Zealand.^[20]

Medals and ribbons

	New Zealand Order of Merit
	Queen's Service Order
	Order of St John
	New Zealand Operational Service Medal
	UNIFIL Medal
	New Zealand General Service Medal 1992 (Non-Warlike)
	East Timor Medal
	New Zealand Armed Forces Award with clasp
	US Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation
	Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera)

Dates of rank

Rank	Date	Role
Private	1972
Second Lieutenant	1976
Major	1985	B Company Commander, 1 RNZIR
Colonel	before May 1998
Brigadier	24 December 1999	Land Component Commander
Major General	February 2002	Chief of Army
Lieutenant General	1 May 2006	Chief of Defence Force

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Governor-General Designate". The Governor-General of New Zealand. Government of New Zealand. 8 March 2011. http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/3708. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
2. ^ "Jerry Mateparae: Can't fight? In fact we still punch above our weight". The New Zealand Herald. 8 September 2008. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10531009. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
3. ^ ^{a b c} "NZ gets first Maori defence chief". BBC News. 6 March 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4777878.stm. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
4. ^ "Ex-Defence head next Governor-General". The New Zealand Herald. 8 March 2011. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10710897. Retrieved 8 March 2011. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Young, Audrey (12 March 2011). "Man of the people". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10711756. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
6. ^ "Turia delighted at Jerry Mateparae appointment". Maori Party. 7 March 2011. http://maoriparty.net/index.php?pag=nw&id=1608&p=turia-delighted-at-jerry-mateparae-appointment.html. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
7. ^ "Defence Force chief delivers ANZAC address". Māori Television. 15 April 2010. http://media.maoritelevision.com/default.aspx?tabid=400&pid=6884. Retrieved 12 March 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b} "New army chief". The Press. 3 December 1999. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-17409145.html. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
9. ^ "Defence appointments announced". New Zealand Government. 10 December 2001. http://www.beehive.govt.nz/node/12578. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
10. ^ "Prime Minister Welcomes Jerry Mateparae as next Governor-General". Prime Minister's Office. 8 March 2011. http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PA1103/S00082/pm-welcomes-jerry-mateparae-as-next-governor-general.htm. Retrieved 2011-03-08. 
11. ^ "Appointment of New Governor-General of New Zealand". Queen Elizabeth II. 8 March 2011. http://www.royal.gov.uk/LatestNewsandDiary/Pressreleases/2011/AppointmentofnewGovernorGeneralofNewZealand.aspx. Retrieved 2011-03-08. 
12. ^ Bennett, Adam (31 August 2011). "New governor-general sworn in". The New Zealand Herald. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10748553. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
13. ^ "PM announces appointments for Lt Gen Mateparae". Beehive. 20 May 2011. http://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/pm-announces-appointments-lt-gen-mateparae. Retrieved 20 May 2011. 
14. ^ "Incoming Governor General knighted". New Zealand Herald. 20 May 2011. http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10726923&ref=rss. Retrieved 20 May 2011. 
15. ^ "Title and greetings". Governor-General Website. 20 May 2011. http://www.gg.govt.nz/node/1534. Retrieved 31 August 2011. 
16. ^ "2008 Awardees". University of Waikato. http://alumni.waikato.ac.nz/distingalumni/. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
17. ^ "Jerry Mateparae named as new Governor-General". Stuff.co.nz. 8 March 2011. http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/national/politics/4743255/New-Governor-General-named. Retrieved 8 March 2011. 
18. ^ "The New Zealand New Year Honours 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. http://www.dpmc.govt.nz/honours/lists/list.asp?id=20. Retrieved 5 August 2009. 
19. ^ "Govenor General receives military award from Singapore". Stuff.co.nz. 30 May 2011. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/5075056/Govenor-General-receives-military-award-from-Singapore. Retrieved 30 May 2011. 
20. ^ "Sir Jerry Mateparae to head St John". Order of St John. 18 June 2011. http://www.stjohn.co.nz/news/article.aspx?docid=103456. Retrieved 26 August 2011. 

External links

• NZDF biography

Military offices
Preceded by Bruce Ferguson	Chief of Defence Force 2006–2011	Succeeded by Rhys Jones
Government offices
Preceded by Bruce Ferguson	Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau 2011	Succeeded by Simon Murdoch Acting
Preceded by Anand Satyanand	Governor-General of New Zealand 2011–present	Incumbent

Persondata
Name	Mateparae, Jerry
Alternative names	Mateparae, Jeramiah (full name)
Short description	Governor-General of New Zealand
Date of birth	14 November 1954
Place of birth	Whanganui, New Zealand
Date of death
Place of death