Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO KStJ (born 14 November 1954) is a former New Zealand soldier who served as the 20th governor-general of New Zealand between 2011 and 2016, the second Māori person to hold the office, after Sir Paul Reeves.[1] A former officer in the New Zealand Army, he was the Chief of the Defence Force from 2006 to 2011, and then served as the director of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau for five months in 2011.[2] Following his term as governor-general, Mateparae was the high commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom between 2017 and 2020.
Sir Jerry Mateparae | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2011 | |
| 20th Governor-General of New Zealand | |
| In office 31 August 2011 – 31 August 2016 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Prime Minister | John Key |
| Preceded by | Sir Anand Satyanand |
| Succeeded by | Dame Patsy Reddy |
| 27th High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom | |
| In office 24 March 2017 – April 2020 | |
| Prime Minister | Bill English Jacinda Ardern |
| Preceded by | Lockwood Smith |
| Succeeded by | Bede Corry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 14 November 1954 Whanganui, New Zealand |
| Spouse(s) |
Raewynne McGhie
(m. 1973; died 1990)Janine Grenside |
| Children | 5 |
| Alma mater | Officer Cadet School, Portsea Staff College, Camberley Australian Defence College Royal College of Defence Studies University of Waikato |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Branch/service | New Zealand Army |
| Years of service | 1972–2011 |
| Rank | Lieutenant General |
| Commands | Chief of Defence Force Chief of Army Land Command 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment New Zealand Special Air Service |
| Battles/wars | Operation Bel Isi Operation Warden |
Early life
editMateparae was born on 14 November 1954 to the Andrews family in Wanganui. He was given to his mother's brother, a Mateparae, to be raised in the Māori customary adoption known as whāngai.[3] His birth father and his adoptive father were both ministers in the Rātana Church.[4] He is descended from the Ngāti Tūwharetoa[5] and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes and also has links to Tūhoe and tribes in the upper Whanganui.[6] He was raised in the Whanganui suburb of Castlecliff and attended Castlecliff Primary School, Rutherford Intermediate School and Wanganui High School.[7]
Military career
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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.[6] He was a platoon commander in Singapore in 1979.[8]
Mateparae had two operational postings to peace support missions, one 12-month tour of duty with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization as the Chief Observer in Southern Lebanon from May 1994 to May 1995, and commanding the combined-force Peace Monitoring Group on Bougainville during Operation Belisi in 1998.[2] 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.[2]
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.[6]
On 26 August 2010, Prime Minister John Key announced the appointment of Mateparae as Director of the Government Communications Security Bureau. 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
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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][13]
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.[14] He became Chancellor and Principal Knight Grand Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit and Principal Companion of the Queen's Service Order upon taking office as governor-general,[15] making him "His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO".[16]
During the 2019 Operation Burnham inquiry Mateparae admitted to providing inaccurate information to Parliament.[17]
On 14 November 2012 Mateparae hosted a party for the 64th birthday of Charles, Prince of Wales who was visiting New Zealand, and for 64 New Zealanders, all of whom shared the same birthday of 14 November. [18]
In April 2013 Mateparae travelled to Afghanistan to mark the end of New Zealand Defence Force's deployment there.[19] In June 2014, he attended the 70th anniversary commemorations of D Day in Normandy with Queen Elizabeth II, other heads of government and world leaders, taking a number of New Zealand veterans with him.
Mateparae expanded on a tradition started by his predecessor, Sir Anand Satyanand in 2012, releasing the Governor-General's New Year Message on video for the first time.[20]
High Commissioner to the United Kingdom
editOn 16 December 2016, it was announced that Mateparae would be New Zealand's next High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, replacing Sir Lockwood Smith in early 2017.[21]
Personal life
editMateparae has three children with his first wife, Raewynne, who died in 1990,[7] and two with his second wife, Janine.[3]
Medals and awards
edit| Viceregal styles of Sir Jerry Mateparae (2011–2016) | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Reference style | His Excellency Lieutenant General the Right Honourable |
| Spoken style | Your Excellency |
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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.[22] He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.[23]
Mateparae was appointed an Additional Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the 1999 New Year Honours,[24] for his service in Bougainville. In May 2011 the Singapore government awarded him the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) – Distinguished Service Order (Military).[25] In June 2011 he was awarded Knight of Justice of the Order of St John in regards to him becoming Prior of the Order of St John in New Zealand.[26]
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Honorary degrees
edit- Honorary degrees
| Location | Date | School | Degree |
|---|---|---|---|
 New Zealand |
12 May 2011 | Massey University | Doctor of Literature (D.Litt)[27] |
Dates of rank
edit| Rank | Date | Role | Insignia |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private | 1972 |  | |
| Second Lieutenant | 1976 |  | |
| Major | 1985 | B Company Commander, 1 RNZIR |  |
| Lieutenant Colonel | 1991–1994 | Commanding Officer, 1 RNZIR |  |
| Colonel | 30 September 1996[28] |  | |
| Brigadier | 24 December 1999 | Land Component Commander |  |
| Major General | February 2002 | Chief of Army |  |
| Lieutenant General | 1 May 2006 | Chief of Defence Force |  |
Arms
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References
edit- ^ "Biography of Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae". Government House, Wellington. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ^ a b c "NZ gets first Maori defence chief". BBC News. 6 March 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ a b Young, Audrey (12 March 2011). "Man of the people". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ "Turia delighted at Jerry Mateparae appointment". Maori Party. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ "Defence Force chief delivers ANZAC address". Māori Television. 15 April 2010. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 12 March 2011.
- ^ a b c "Biography of Lt Gen The Rt Hon Sir Jerry Mateparae". The Governor-General of New Zealand. Government of New Zealand. 8 March 2011. Archived from the original on 6 June 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
- ^ a b Hubbard, Anthony (13 March 2011). "An Officer and a Gentleman". The Sunday Star Times. Fairfax NZ News.
- ^ a b "New army chief". The Press. 3 December 1999. Retrieved 5 August 2009.[dead link]
- ^ "Defence appointments announced". New Zealand Government. 10 December 2001. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "Prime Minister Welcomes Jerry Mateparae as next Governor-General". Scoop.co.nz. Prime Minister's Office. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Appointment of New Governor-General of New Zealand". Queen Elizabeth II. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "Commission Appointing Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah Mateparae, GNZM, QSO, to be Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Realm of New Zealand" (13 September 2011) 140 The New Zealand Gazette 3971
- ^ Bennett, Adam (31 August 2011). "New governor-general sworn in". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "PM announces appointments for Lt Gen Mateparae". Beehive. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ "Incoming Governor General knighted". The New Zealand Herald. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
- ^ "Title and greetings". Governor-General Website. 20 May 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
- ^ "Operation Burnham inquiry: Misleading statements and briefings come to light". Radio New Zealand. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ Powell, Selina (21 September 2012). "Buddies invited for Prince Charles' Birthday". Stuff. Retrieved 30 December 2012.
- ^ "Dignitaries mark Afghan withdrawal". 3 News NZ. 4 April 2013. Archived from the original on 14 April 2013.
- ^ Governor-General of New Zealand (1 January 2012). "Governor-General's First Video Message for the New Year". Scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
- ^ "Sir Jerry Mateparae to become next High Commissioner to the UK". Stuff.co.nz. 16 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "2008 Awardees". University of Waikato. Archived from the original on 19 August 2009. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ "Jerry Mateparae named as new Governor-General". Stuff.co.nz. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
- ^ "New Year honours list 1999". Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. 31 December 1998. Retrieved 31 August 2019.
- ^ "Governor General receives military award from Singapore". Stuff.co.nz. 30 May 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- ^ "Sir Jerry Mateparae to head St John". Order of St John. 18 June 2011. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ "Honorary Doctorate for defence leader – Massey University".
- ^ "Appointments, Promotions, Extensions, Transfers, Resignations and Retirements of Officers of the New Zealand Army". The New Zealand Gazette. 30 October 1996. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
- ^ "Jerry Mateparae: Can't fight? In fact we still punch above our weight". The New Zealand Herald. 8 September 2008. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
- ^ THE ARMORIAL BEARINGS OF LIEUTENANT-GENERAL THE RIGHT HONOURABLE SIR JERRY (JEREMIAH) MATEPARAE, G.N.Z.M., Q.S.O., K.St.J., Governor-General of New Zealand, 31 August 2011 – 31 August 2016
External links
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