Jerry Mateparae

Lieutenant General Sir Jeremiah "Jerry" Mateparae (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 second Māori person to hold the office (after Sir Paul Reeves), and the Director of the New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau from 7 February 2011 until 1 July 2011. His appointment as Governor-General was announced on 8 March 2011 and he took office on 31 August 2011.

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. His birth father and his adoptive father were both ministers in the Rātana Church. He is descended from the Ngāti Tūwharetoa and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes and also has links to Tūhoe and tribes in the upper Whanganui. 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.

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. He was a platoon commander in Singapore in 1979.

He 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. On 24 December 1999, he was promoted to brigadier, in the post of Land Component Commander, Joint Forces New Zealand. 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.

In February 2002, Mateparae was promoted to major-general and became the Chief of General Staff. 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.

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

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. He became Chancellor and Principal Knight Grand Companion of that order and Principal Companion of the Queen's Service Order upon taking office as Governor-General, making him "His Excellency Lieutenant General The Right Honourable Sir Jeremiah Mateparae GNZM QSO".

On 14 November 2012 he hosted a birthday party for Charles, Prince of Wales who was visiting New Zealand and for 64 other New Zealanders; all of whom share the same birthday date of 14 November.

In April 2013 Sir Jerry travelled to Afghanistan to mark the end of New Zealand Defence Force's deployment there.

New Year Message
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.

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. He is a Fellow of the New Zealand Institute of Management.

He was made an Additional Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the January 1999 New Year’s Honours, for his service in Bougainville. In May 2011 the Singapore government awarded him the Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang (Tentera) – Distinguished Service Order (Military). 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.


 * Medals and ribbons